Flipping The Script: Hire Slow, Fire Slow—Why You Might Be Rushing To Change Team For The Wrong Reasons
Great things take time.
In a world where businesses are running as fast as they can, we’re here to hit the brakes and flip the script. That’s because we believe it’s not about how fast you can go—it’s about how far you can go.
For years, the rule in recruitment has been “hire slow, fire fast.” But those who run their business based on this principle may be forgetting that different people learn in different ways—and you could be letting go of the right people merely because of the lack of tailored training that’s being provided.
If you’re truly confident in your strategic hiring process and have already invested a lot of time and effort to “hire slow,” then you owe it to yourself and to your new hire to make sure that you explore every area possible of talent development.
Here’s why it’s time to embrace the art of hiring slow and developing fast.
Why the “Hire Slow, Fire Fast” Might Be Pulling You Backward
The old adage “hire slow, fire fast” is such a popular mantra in the business world, but is it truly sound advice worth taking? The concept of taking time to carefully select and hire the right employees is certainly an indispensable step, but the notion of swiftly terminating underperforming individuals, on the other hand, might not actually be as effective as it seems.
Why is it that the patience in recruitment stages rarely carries over into the talent development stage? Rather than showing employees the door right away, why not show them you can open up windows of opportunities and exert just as much effort to unleash their potential through top-tier training?
The Negative Impact of Firing Fast
Developing talent is indeed a critical aspect of any organization. The success of a company depends heavily on the skills, attitudes, and motivation of its employees. However, the idea that firing quickly is always necessary in order to maintain high performance can create a toxic work environment and hinder team development. By prioritizing speed over fairness and understanding in employee termination, managers may inadvertently discourage innovation and risk-taking among their staff.
Additionally, rapid firing can lead to employees feeling uncertain about their job security, which can have negative impacts on morale and productivity. Ultimately, a more thoughtful and individualized approach to hiring and firing may produce better long-term results for both the employees and the organization as a whole.
Start Developing Fast Instead
Ultimately, businesses hire individuals when they see incredible potential. But what have you done so far to actually unlock and maximize that potential in the workplace?
Finding unicorn hires is hard enough as it is—letting them go right away might be what’s pulling your company backward.
At the end of the day, this could lead to excessive time and effort spent on finding new recruits or even adopting a “hire fast, fire fast” mentality just to find anyone to get the job done as soon as possible. It’s important to remember that you can’t get the wrong people and expect them to do the right things. You don’t want your company to be stuck in an endless cycle of hiring and firing. Your time will be much better spent retaining the right people and investing in proper talent development to maximize their potential.
Going Against the Norm: Hire Slow, Develop Fast
Why do you “hire slow” and endure immense patience in recruitment in the first place? Well, most likely it’s because you want to find the right people. But, we often don’t know that in the first 90 days or even six months, and yet we are given these arbitrary timelines based upon our HR policies.
When your new employees aren’t exactly performing as you thought they would, you might start wondering if you have them in the right seat on your bus. Now’s the time to think back on why you hired them in the first place and do what you can for them to put their skills into action—the very skills that caught your attention in the first place and made you trust that they can do a great job. Everyone needs time to adjust to a new position. It’s your job to ensure employees are equipped with the right tools and training to do just that before finally deciding to let them go.
Once you’ve checked “hire slow” off your list, it’s time to go against the norm and tackle the next vital component: develop fast.
Talent Development Done the Right Way
Strategic hiring, proper onboarding, and consistent, innovative training are key to getting talent development done the right way. But where do you even begin with the training process? We’ve got you covered. Below, you’ll find the crucial steps necessary to start maximizing your team’s potential.
The Classic DISC Assessment
A crucial element of talent development is understanding and recognizing individual areas of motivation, as well as their communication and personality styles based on the DISC assessment.
So, what’s the DISC assessment?
This popular behavioral profiling tool helps individuals deepen their understanding of themselves and others. It measures four main dimensions of behavior: dominance (D), influence (i), steadiness (S), and conscientiousness (C). These dimensions represent different aspects of how people approach tasks, interact with others, handle challenges, and make decisions.
By taking the DISC assessment, individuals gain insights into their own behavioral tendencies. They learn about their strengths and potential areas for growth, as well as their communication preferences and problem-solving styles. This self-awareness allows individuals to better navigate various situations and adapt their behaviors accordingly, enhancing their effectiveness in interpersonal relationships and work environments.
Furthermore, the DISC assessment also helps individuals understand others’ behavioral styles. By recognizing patterns and cues indicative of someone’s dominant DISC style, individuals can tailor their communication approaches accordingly. This understanding assists in fostering more effective teamwork, resolving conflicts more constructively, and building stronger relationships based on empathy and mutual respect.
Overall, the DISC assessment serves as a practical tool for personal development and improving interpersonal dynamics. It supports individuals in gaining a deeper knowledge of themselves while also encouraging appreciation for diverse perspectives and facilitating effective collaboration with others.
ActionEdge’s Game-Changing Services
Wondering about the ways you can go beyond the classic DISC assessment and take an even more innovative approach?
Specializing in talent development, leadership development, executive coaching, and team-building strategies, we’re dedicated to helping companies unlock their full potential.
Below, you’ll learn more about how our game-changing services can help your team develop fast and effectively.
The Five Disciplines Assessment
One of the first steps to approaching talent development the right way is through an in-depth assessment.
The 5 Disciplines Assessment will produce results across each of the five disciplines for exponential growth: strategy, business development, people, execution, and mission. It’s designed to identify strong points, weaknesses, and areas of improvement—ultimately pointing out what you need to change in your organization in terms of your team’s focus and discipline.
The main objective of this assessment is to help you understand where your team is and what your beliefs are. From here, you’ll have a clear overview of your priorities and see where to take your first steps toward improvement in creating and building disciplines.
Learn more about our Five Disciplines Assessment here.
The Five Disciplines Training
So what do we do with the results from the 5 Disciplines Assessments? Don’t just read through them and let them sit there on paper—it’s time to take action. This is where comprehensive training steps into the picture to write out a brighter future for your team.
The 5 disciplines—strategy, business development, people, execution, and mission—will serve as the foundational framework from which your senior leadership team builds the organization’s non-negotiable objectives. Establishing these disciplines through proper training keeps everyone on the same page and ensures the following:
- alignment of senior leadership regarding top company objectives and priorities
- encouragement of exponential company growth when given equal focus and attention
- organizational commitment to always ‘serving’ these 5 key constituents
- progress towards becoming a sustainable, predictable, stable, and consistent company with an emotional connection to your customers, community, and your team
Click here to learn more about our Five Disciplines Training.
OKR (Objectives and Key Results) Focused Programs and Services
The interest in the OKR method of listing, tracking, and driving focused execution toward achieving the primary goals of an organization continues to increase—and ActionEdge helps businesses carry this out flawlessly. We make the effort to understand exactly where you want to go, and then leverage our expertise to get you and your team there.
Often, a strategy map based on the 5 disciplines is used to create and audit OKRs to add another layer of congruency to values and purpose.
We help organizations build an OKR infrastructure through:
- OKR conceptual training
- ActionEdge facilitated annual (organization) and quarterly (department) OKR setting workshops
- Inserting an ActionEdge OKR champion and facilitator within the organization
- Identifying and matching with an ActionEdge coach, key individuals who will be mentored to be internal OKR champions
- Using OKRs as a component of a larger ActionEdge executive development program
- And more
Discover more about our OKR (Objectives and Key Results) Focused Programs and Services.
Executive Leadership Development Training
You have a vision of where you want your company to be—but are you equipped with the adequate leadership skills to actually “lead” your team in that very direction?
We focus on excellence and dedication while developing leaders of all levels. Our team will be an invaluable catalyst to your development, guiding you throughout the entire leadership development and executive coaching process.
CEO & Senior Executive Team Coaching
ActionEdge offers executive coaching to help CEOs and managers discover and sustain peak performance—ultimately transforming them into better and more effective leaders. Our experts will equip you with the tools and resources necessary at every session. We’ll be with you every step of the way as you learn to evaluate, execute, and engage your skills.
Click here to learn more about our CEO & Senior Executive Team Coaching services.
Custom Team Workshop Retreats
What’s been your approach to team building strategies so far?
Our training workshop retreats are built around a central theme. Whether it’s a skillset of permanent importance to the participants, focused on major shift or change coming in the near future for the organization, or simply meant to be an escape where you can have some fun as a team—leave it all up to the experts at ActionEdge to design Custom Team Workshop Retreats that really work, no one retreats from, and actually succeeds at bringing the team together.
Take a closer look at our custom team workshop retreats.
Take Action: Leverage Your Team’s Edge Over the Rest with ActionEdge
Strategic hiring isn’t enough. Fast and innovative development matters just as much.
At ActionEdge, we’re best known for transforming organizations and empowering individuals to reach their full potential. Our team comprised of dedicated professionals with diverse expertise is consistent in delivering exceptional results for our clients.
Teaming up with us means you gain instant access to this exceptional team of professionals who’ll go the extra mile to fuel your organization’s growth and success.
To leverage an edge, you need to take action—and we’ll help you get the ball rolling.
Reach out to us today to learn more about our services encompassing talent development, leadership development, executive coaching, and team building strategies!
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