It’s not always what you first think!

The many Business Owners and Business Managers that we work with and discuss their specific people issues with usually have a very good understanding of their business, the impact of a staffing issue on their business and even ideas to rectify an issue. However, the solution is not always what they first thought.

I recently experienced a situation where a Business Owner and I had been in conversation over a staffing solution he wanted to implement in his business as a result of a particular staffing issue he had identified.

When I questioned him as to why he wanted to take this course of action, exactly what the problem was as he saw it and what outcome he wanted.  It became quite evident to me that his idea of what he needed was not going to bring his desired outcome, however, I was happy to discuss it in more detail with him and thrash it out to determine the best solution for him and his business – after all, every organisation and its people are different.

However, after my initial discussion the Business Owner and I never discussed this staffing issue again despite several attempts by me over a period of time.  So in order to get what he wanted, he went to a competitor to handle the matter, but guess what it didn’t work out and he came back to me to fix what was now an even bigger problem!

He had prior to implementing this other plan had second thoughts and got in contact with me again and we discussed how we could determine the best course of action for him to get what he wanted and again I asked a number of pertinent questions.  Now we are continuing through the process so don’t have the end result for you yet (that’s another blog!) however, guess what!?  The one thing that is obvious however, is that the solution wasn’t what he first thought!

I was particularly proud of my open communication and continuing to pursue a company holistic solution approach to his issue.  As with every client we work with, we undertake to foster a great partnership arrangement, we approach it with considered respect and absolute attention to detail – that’s why in the end it normally works for us and for that of our client.

As a Business Owner or Business Manager, I believe that there are a few good questions you must ask of your Recruitment Consultant before agreeing for them to assist you with any staffing solution, and they are:

• If we agree to move forward, what are the possible risks and/or implications?
• Is this the right approach for our business, our vision and our core values?
• Should we consider any other alternatives?
• Will this solution give me the desired and required end result we need?
• Should I include anybody else in these discussions who may understand this area of the business better?
• Does my consultant have a clear picture of our specific needs and overall business direction?
• What is the process being followed to ensure we achieve a satisfactory result?
• Does my consultant have support to ensure they can get the job done as promised?

Now while you can obviously ask many more – I believe a good recruiter will have already answered these questions before you have a need to ask them, and remember once you do get these answered to your satisfaction, then you can’t really go wrong!