When a manager starts a new business or expands an existing company, he is tempted to hire or lure away from a competitor a "star" - a highly professional employee who produces high results. In this article, I tell you how effective this strategy is.
Hiring the right staff is a difficult topic if the manager has not received specialized training and does not possess the necessary tools to "separate the wheat from the chaff."
There are two main strategies:
1) Recruiting young specialists and training the necessary personnel within the company through training, mentoring, corporate coaching, and a well-functioning motivation system. Cultivation of professionals in our own “forge of personnel”.
2) Hiring experienced outside specialists, forming a team of these employees.
The choice of a strategy is determined by many factors, for example, the scope of the business or the urgency of solving the assigned tasks.
If the manager chooses the second strategy, his team may have a “star” employee, on whom the main bets are made.
Who are the stars ?
"Stars" are responsible and professional employees who take part in the main business processes. These are talented, successful employees with an established client base, personal connections, extensive experience and knowledge in a particular area of business, who know their worth. The “star” can be an employee with unique technology or specialized knowledge.
The manager is confident that such an employee will be able to correct the situation in his business with his work and is ready to “bend” under the “star”.
How is this expressed?
The "star" in the company behaves according to the principle: "what is due to Jupiter is not due to a bull". Disciplinary violations are forgiven for her, individual working conditions are created, and increased bonuses and interest are paid. The employer does everything to keep this employee with him.
Benefits of Hiring Stars:
The arrival of such an employee in the company, as a rule, brings quick and tangible profit:
- increasing the number of sales, - an increase in the average check, - attracting personal clients of the "star" to the business, - generation of creative ideas, - introduction of new services, - using the connections of this employee in the interests of business development.
For example: a realtor - "star" can bring huge profits exclusively from his personal clients, he can bring management to a developer with whom he has been working for a long time, and procure the exclusive right of sales for the company.
The “star” cosmetologist will lead its client base and introduce new technologies, thanks to which the company will be able to expand the line of products and services.
A star lawyer may turn out to be a unique specialist in a narrow niche, for example, in bankruptcy, which will help the company to reach large customers and significantly increase the cost of services.
It turns out that hiring a "star" is profitable? On the one hand, yes. Such an employee can really improve the affairs of the company. But this is only a temporary effect.
What are the dangers of hiring a star?
1. The policy of double standards has never held the team together. Other workers, as a rule, begin to be jealous and envious of the "star", seeing what conditions the leader has created for her. It is immediately clear who they will be friends against. All this has an extremely negative effect on the work process.
2. "Stars" are extremely disloyal to the company and the leader. They adhere exclusively to their own interests and remain in this job as long as it suits them. Few exceptions only prove the rule.
3. "Stars" undermine the authority of the leader, sabotaging his orders, challenging his opinion, etc. The leader needs to be a top-class professional and a pronounced charismatic leader in order to gain respect from the "star".
4. "Stars" can become anti-leaders and lead the opposition if the leader makes a managerial mistake.
5. The leader must provide the "star" with career growth, as soon it will become cramped within the proposed framework.
6. It is the "stars" who leave the company, taking its achievements and client base, and organize their own business. They make the strongest competitors.
Conclusions:
Of course, companies need "stars", because it is they - the key employees - who give 80% of the result. But whether to invite them from outside or to grow your employees, turning them into "stars" - it's up to you!
Elena Trigub.
