157: How to Hire for the Weaknesses in Your Design Firm

Hiring
Written By Michele Williams
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157: How to Hire for the Weaknesses in Your Design Firm

with Michele Williams

At some point we all need to consider hiring. But have you considered hiring for the weaknesses in your firm? In this episode we will look at how to identify the weaknesses of your firm, how to use the StrengthsFinder 2.0 assessment tool to gain clarity on what is missing, and how to choose between two weak areas to determine which position to hire for first.

Topics Mentioned: 

  • Hiring

  • StrengthsFinder

  • Decision making

Listen to the Episode

At some point we all need to consider hiring. But have you considered hiring for the weaknesses in your firm? In this episode we will look at how to identify the weaknesses of your firm, how to use the StrengthsFinder 2.0 assessment tool to gain clarity on what is missing, and how to choose between two weak areas to determine which position to hire for first.

Weaknesses. This is not a topic that most of us love talking about. However, I can assure you that as owners of a business, the thoughts swirling through our head at night and moments of stress are not focused on how awesome we are doing or how magnificent our team is. Instead, they always turn to where we are lagging behind, or stressed out or where the weaknesses are starting to show. Right?!? 

This is natural. And in truth, the boom of this year with purchases and home improvement projects has allowed many businesses to be more and more successful which has highlighted more weakness. The more stress put on an object the more the weak areas present. The same holds true in business. 

As we look to remedy this, we may be looking to hire. Of course, you know I will always suggest getting your processes in order first because that may give you insight on the position you really need. Assuming you have done that work, let’s move forward and use our company weaknesses to inform our hiring decisions. 

Let’s start with asking some questions, then consider using StrengthsFinder 2.0 assessments and lastly modeling out more than one hiring plan. 

 

Ask the tough questions.  

To get clarity on where the weak points are in your business, don’t be afraid to ask some tough questions. You can come up with these on your own – or ask your team to assist. There should be a no judgment rule when coming up with these questions or answers because the goal is to solve the problem or answer the question. And we are unable to answer an unasked question.   

 

Here are a few questions to get you started: 

  • What is not getting done that needs to get done? 

  • Where are we getting the most customer complaints? 

  • Where is the backlog of work? 

  • Where is our work subpar or not to the desired standard? 

  • What new market or service do we want to offer but cannot? What is missing? 

  • Is there a currently outsourced role that would be better managed in-house? 

  • What feels overwhelming, out of control, or scary to address? 

I am certain you can add your own questions to this list. And as you go forward to answer them, other questions may arise. Go through the process and gain clarity. Use your strategic plan (I know you have one, right?) to inform your next business moves and the resource requirements for those goals. 

 

Use StrengthsFinder to assess company weaknesses. 

It is no secret that I am a fan of the StrengthsFinder 2.0 assessment. You can find me talking about it over and over but specifically in Episode 35 with Darren Virassammy. More than any other assessment, I have used StrengthsFinder to increase my strengths and to be aware of my shortcomings.  

As an owner, I suggest you take the full StrengthsFinder assessment, not just the top 5. This is because the last 5 show your blind spots – or the strengths that you have in short supply. Knowing my weaknesses, which did not come as a surprise when I took the test, has helped me to hire people who had a natural ability I did not and to create processes and systems to assist me in meeting the needs of my clients and my business that don’t come as naturally to me. 

When you have a team, if everyone takes the top 5 and you plot those strengths out, it will become apparent which strengths might be missing in your firm. That then allows you the opportunity to look at those strengths and to ask the big question – are they needed for our future success? Could one of these low-level strengths be the key to answering some of the questions you had in the first part of this exercise.  

It can also be a great opportunity to revisit each job description and to note which of the strengths from this assessment are needed for success. If building relationships is mandatory for the position, that is helpful to know before you begin the interview process. 

The StrengthsFinder assessment can also be used as part of the hiring process. Assessments are not to be used alone but as a part of a larger hiring experience. 

 

Model multiple types of hires. 

 

In my blog post, Who Should I Hire First: Admin Assistance or Junior Designer, I share with you how to determine which of those to hire first based on your business needs. As you do the work, we have been talking about you may come up with more than one role that could be a possibility for your next hire. So now what? 

 

This is where I like to model more than one hire. For each position write down the following: 

  • What would they do (job responsibilities)? 

  • Who would they report to? 

  • How much you would need to pay them? 

  • What problems noted earlier their work would solve? 

  • What impact to company profitability would their work make? 

  • How much would be freed up for others who are currently doing that work? 

  • What new processes would need to be put into place for success? 

  • What does the job market look like for this talent set? 

  • What would be the immediate, mid-term, and long-term impact of this hire? 

  • What would it mean if we hired this position over the others we are considering? 

 

Now, do a benefit analysis of each position and see which one comes out on top.  

Hiring is something that needs to be considered carefully. Maybe you have heard the phrase, hire slowly fire quickly. There is truth in that.  

The timing of the hire is also very important. Hiring when you are so overwhelmed that you cannot fully train or onboard could lead to disaster. Ensure you have a training plan created in advance before bringing on your next teammate. 

Creating strategic plans and hiring plans is part of the work we do in The Designers’ Inner Circle. We are aiming to have control of the future growth of our firms, and doing this work is part of that. If you want to join us, check out our Work With Me page on Scarletthreadconsulting.com and apply for a discovery call. Hire with a plan to be profitable because profit doesn’t happen by accident. 

Key Thoughts:

  • The more stress put on an object, the more the weak areas present. And the same holds true in business. Michele (1:48) 

  • Knowing my weaknesses, has really helped me in hiring people who had a natural ability that I did not, and then create processes and systems to assist me in meeting the needs of my clients and my business for the areas that do not come as naturally to me. Michele (5:49) 

  • Hiring when you're overwhelmed where you can't fully train or onboard could lead to disaster. Make sure that you have a training plan created in advance before bringing on your next team member. Michele (9:44) 

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References and Resources:

Michele Williams
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