Different people work better in different careers. Not everyone can be a dentist or a bookkeeper. The same idea applies to all positions, including secretaries and janitors. Do you have the right people for these jobs?
Entry level and low experience positions can’t just be filled by anyone. You still need someone who’s motivated to do it. In his book Traction, Gino Wickman talks about having the right people in the right seats. This means that you have someone whose personality and values are a good fit for your company, and they are motivated and well suited for the job. Having people who share your values, but don’t get results is just as bad as having people who get results, but don’t share your mission.
Sometimes, you can have the right person in the wrong seat. The fix here is easy, get them where they should be. But if you have the wrong person in the right seat, the only solution is to let them go. Someone who doesn’t share your values can destroy your business from the inside out, even if they’re good at their job.
Let’s say you have a secretary. She’s nice enough, but isn’t particularly social. She spends most of her time on the computer scheduling appointments and doing paperwork. She’s the right person, in the wrong seat. She should be moved to a more administrative position, and someone more sociable should take her place.
Alternatively, let’s say you have a super sociable and nice secretary, but she keeps dropping the ball when it comes to scheduling. She’s disorganized and frequently keeps patients waiting. She’s always friendly with them, but she’s not efficient and ends up delaying appointments. This is the wrong person in the right seat. A dental office can’t afford to keep patients waiting, even if the secretary is super nice. Someone that disorganized is not good for your practice.
Having the right people in the right seat isn’t optional. Hiring people just to fill an empty spot is going to hurt you in the long run. Take your time when hiring, and hire people that would be a good fit for your team in a job they can excel at. Otherwise, it’s your business that will suffer.