Smart managers credit their success to the people they’ve worked with. They might also give themselves a lot of the credit too, or they might recognize they’ve had great luck. But they always acknowledge the contributions of their team.

The lesson is simple. If you want more success, get a better team.

Easier said than done - I know. The challenge of hiring well is daunting. It requires both patience and energy, and there’s no guarantee of success.

The problem is that good hiring is a long-term play. You usually don’t see results overnight. With so many short-term issues pressing, how do you make progress?

Here’s an idea. When I need to make a long-term change, I invent a short-term issue that forces me to get started right away - even if I haven’t fully thought through every option and scenario. For hiring I would simply focus on hiring my next employee extra carefully. I’d concentrate my effort on:

Making just one better hire.

Why? Well, even one great hire can make a noticeable difference in your organization. We all know that. But more important, I’ll probably discover hiring techniques I can put into action for future hires. By focusing on just one better hire, I can get the train rolling.

OK fine. Now how do you actually do it? Let’s not make it complicated. Instead of dwelling on the infinite number of possible approaches, do just these two things:

1. Make sure you review at least 4-8 qualified candidates before making any judgment. Don’t just hire the first (or second) person who comes along. This is not as easy as it sounds, since you usually hire the first acceptable person who comes along. But be determined to view a bigger pool of applicants - and you will greatly improve your chances of making a great hire.

2. Collect more information for use in making your decision. Use just one tool - any one tool in addition to the typical resume review and interview. You could use a pre-employment test, a reference check, or a background check. Amazingly, all of these are tools are incredibly easy to access in our technology-enabled world. For tests, you can select the test by the name of the job and you can even try several for free at https://www.hravatar.com/freetrial

Let’s keep it simple, just try doing those two things. No stress. No complication. If you succeed it will be like giving yourself a wonderful present.  I’d like to hear what happens if you do! Please email me at mike@hravatar.com.

Good luck!