Who Are Your Top Draft Picks?
You need to keep track of the best people you've ever worked with.
Before we start…
A quick request…I’m out and about searching for my next full-time role. Right now, I’m looking mainly for software (B2B or B2C), healthcare tech, and agency type businesses right now where I can use my past experience and have the opportunity to take the vision of the company from the CEO and make it a reality.
A one-liner pitch that someone recently said about me: You absolutely want Jonathan on the team when things are a bit chaotic and the path forward isn’t totally clear; he can come in and make sure the right priorities are set, that everyone knows what is expected of them, and that big ideas become reality.
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Who Are Your Top Draft Picks?
Let’s start with a little exercise.
You’re starting a new company and you need to hire one person to handle the most pressing issue your company faces. It’s the life or death of your company on the line.
What name comes to mind?
Sure, “it depends” could be a valid answer because it depends on the issue is, but go with me for a second. Or instead come up with few people who each would handle a different pressing issue. Do you have a short list?
This is an exercise you need to be doing regularly. There are a few reasons for it.
Number one…if one of these names is someone at your current company, are they happy? I’m assuming that since they’re on your list, you really need to keep them, so don’t take it for granted that they’re just going to hang around. Be proactive to make sure they’re staying now that you realize how critical they are. You just picked them as one of the best people you’ve ever worked with after all.
Another reason for this is pure altruism. Stop and tell that person. Now.
(Seriously…just send them a note right now. This post will be here when you get back.)
Whether they are on your team or with your company or not, this is a worthy exercise that the world could use a little bit of these days. Who doesn’t need to hear that they’re amazing right now?
To keep my reasons going, you’ll eventually be asked by someone who is the best person you can recommend for a role they need to fill. Most people say: “Hmmm…let me think about that and get back to you.” What does that say to the person asking for a recommendation? It says that you don’t have someone great because they would have been top of mind. So, make it top of mind by having a list ready. Assuming you want to help both this all-star and the person asking for help, you’ll do both a greater service by having a name on hand.
The final reason to think about this question regularly is to ask yourself why you aren’t hiring them right now. Assuming they don’t currently work at your company and that they are one of the best of the best people you’ve ever worked with, why aren’t you recruiting them right now? There might not be an explicit role available, but a great person can come in and make something work. I believe a ton in hiring great people and letting them go to work. Sure, you might not have it “budgeted” and that’s a real thing, but would you get a better return skimming off, say, $300k, from Google Adwords that probably won’t have a great return and putting it towards someone who will (whether they are in marketing or not)? Sure, this greatly simplifies how things work especially at big companies, but sometimes you have to break the rules a bit.
Since you’ve made it this far…who are your top draft picks? Add them in the comments and let them know!
Before you go…
If you find your company stuck with lots of inefficient manual processes, there is a better way. My company Obvify connects the disconnected. We turn spreadsheets, databases, CRMs, and random software tools into custom, integrated web applications. The goal is to eliminate half the time, cost, and aggravation from your manual processes all while making your team more productive (and a bit happier). And if you ever need insights or assistance with business process automation or improvement, just give me a shout. Always happy to help. You can schedule a free initial call where I promise to give more free advice than selling things.
And if you just want to make a new connection, I’m happy to do that with any reader. Schedule a time here or just connect on LinkedIn.