Bessemer, a global venture capital firm who has backed hundreds of companies, says “The single determinant of success above all else is the quality of the team and how well they work together. This not only applies at the early stages, but also to the extended team that they hire as the company grows.”

How do you build a team that works so well together that success is inevitable?

1.  Culture

Oracle, Google and Apple are all incredible companies but with very different cultures.  They have all enjoyed success in large part thanks to their ability to hire the right ‘type’ of person for their culture.  Hire people that will enjoy, succeed and thrive in your company’s culture.

2.  Contactability

Make it effortless for your team to talk.  Issuing smartphones is one way to do this (albeit a rather expensive one) but you can also get an inexpensive modern VoIP phone system where employees are reachable anywhere on any device.

3.  Interview Process

No matter what level the hire, aim for each candidate having a minimum of two interviews with at least three people within your organisation.  This gives all parties involved time to make a considered decision, and the winners become even more obvious.  Record phone interviews with your VoIP phone system’s Call Recording to share with decision makers.

4.  Perks (real ones)

Oh your company offers free milk and tea?  Awesome!  No, not really.  How about free beers every Thursday?  Or the ability to work from home one day a week?  The right perks create loyalty and help people work better.

5.  Evolving corporate identity

You may not be able to change your corporate colour from puke green, but you can keep the company evolving.  Get everyone involved in ways to evolve.  Experiencing progress together builds camaraderie.  Plus your employees will be proud to work for a company that is modern and strives to keep their finger on the pulse.  Try getting a snazzy message recording system for your company with cool music.

6.  Get rid of under-performers

As Bessemer says:  “Five excellent engineers can beat a really good team of 50. Yet many [of us] still compromise. We let that marginal person stick around, because we figure having someone in the job is better than having no one.”  Don’t do that.  Try getting a Wallboard on your VoIP phone system so you can see who in Sales and Customer Service is under-performing.

7.  Hire people smarter than you

There won’t be a revolution.  You won’t be disrespected.  You need them and they need you.  As Keith Krach, CEO of DocuSign said, “Creating a lasting, high-growth company requires that we surround ourselves with people better than us.”  Just do it.

VTSL offers cloud communications solutions that can help you build your dream team.  Visit www.vtsl.net today.