Are You Great at Recruiting the WRONG People?

Are You Great at Recruiting the WRONG People?

Hearing it said that you are the sum of the five people you associate with most is so common that it often just provokes a nod and droll, “Yeah, I know.”

But I recently read an article by John Maxwell that brought this point home to me in a new and interesting way.

How many times do you have a great idea for something you want to do and when you share it with people you hear a lot of “what a great idea” and then those golden words, “I’d like to be a part of that.”

You think, “Wow, I have all these people lined up to pull this wagon of an idea to fruition!” Then when the idea starts to come alive and there is lots of work and commitment required, all of a sudden many of those people are sitting ON the wagon, not helping you PULL it along.

What has happened going from idea to new business?

As a business coach, I see this happen a lot and hear a lot of confused business professionals confess they don’t know why.

John says in instances like this, we have recruited the wrong people. We didn’t get them on board with the WHY behind the project and so they were probably looking at it from a WIIFM (What’s in it for me?) vantage point. They were probably excited about the project and wanted to hang out and feel like they were part of something significant.

That’s not what we need or hoped for, is it? What we all need is to have people in the circle who are as passionate about the “why” – the significance the project will have in others’ lives and the community. Those are the people who will stay the course and put in the hours of effort that projects of real significance take.

With the right group committed to the "why," ideas become reality.And that means we have to be selective about the people we recruit. You and I both know that’s not how it usually happens. We get excited about something and we tell everyone. And maybe that is why we end up unhappy with the support we have from the circle. Because we get everyone excited about it, too. But that doesn’t really help us with bring the project to life.

Now all this is important because when we have a big dream, we need others to help us achieve it. We can’t do it all alone. The dilemma is finding the right people to partner with us. How do we do that?

Here are a couple of suggestions:

  • Talk with others about the reason you have this why. What problem are you solving? What are you making better? What is the purpose? When you see that same idea spark a passion in others, add those people to the short list.
  • Find others who are already making a difference in an area similar or complementary to the project and dream you have. When they understand how your dream project aligns with their work or activities, it becomes apparent that you could achieve greater things together than apart.

Once again, let me remind you that it is important to surround yourself with people who are like-minded, as dedicated and ambitious as you and as committed to keeping their noses to the grindstones to achieve success in their endeavors – for your daily business work as well as the special, big hairy audacious dreams.

To Your Success!

Jack Signature

B3 – Be Bold, Brilliant and Boundless!

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