It all begins with finding the right person for the job. Recruitment is so much more than just finding candidates to fill roles. It should be a well-thought out process of attracting, evaluating and selecting candidates that are qualified for the role you’re hiring for and someone that aligns with your company. While every business is different, there are some common practices that can be used across the board when recruiting. For starters, ensure that the job description is accurate to the position, and makes the role sound enticing and inclusive. Then, you’ll need to find the right places to promote the job posting to reach those qualified candidates.

Landing the ideal candidates for your organization is step one. The next step is ensuring that you retain these employees for the foreseeable future. Fortunately for small business owners, salary is only one part of this equation. Employee engagement and other factors are equally as important for employee retention. Creating an employee retention strategy is very important. It can provide you with effective strategies for communicating with employees as well as identifying tactics for employee engagement.

As a business owner, you will also likely manage a diverse group of people with various skillsets. By identifying and characterizing the members of your team you may be able to further unite your team and empower them to contribute to the company’s overall goals. So don’t be afraid to lean into your leadership abilities! Focus on honing your skills as a leader and communicator.

The post How to Recruit, Retain and Manage Your Dream Team appeared first on WeBC.

Based on my experience as a small business owner, here are my tips if you plan to hire a new team member:

1. Post an employment opportunity on job posting engines such as Indeed, or on the job boards of universities or colleges that are likely to have resumes of potential hires in your industry.
2. You will find a lot about them in the interview, so it is important to have a list of questions that can help you to understand them better. Ask about their knowledge and experience and possible challenges at work and how will they solve such problems.
3. Create a training manual. After the new employee and team members have worked together for some time ask your team members for their feedback. These answers will help you to decide about the new team member. 
4. You may need a second interview after the training period. You already know about the new person’s performance, and he/she knows about his/her position. This time you can ask them more work related and specific questions.
5. This is the time to decide if you want to confirm your new hire or not, based on your interview, training, and your team members’ feedback.

My final suggestion is to read the Linchpin book from Seth Godin. In this book, he mentioned 3 lessons about what makes you a linchpin and how to become one:

• Linchpins pour their heart, soul and energy into their work.
• You must make a conscious choice to overcome your fears to become a linchpin.
• Give genuine gifts, without expecting anything in return.

The post How to Hire the Right Person appeared first on WeBC.

And we were so wrong!!

We faced many challenges. The good part is we learned a lot on the job.

In this blog, I want to share 5 tips that are based on our business journey so far.

1. Learn from your employees

I started to learn from my employees. I built a good relationship with them and understood that every person on my staff has his/her own unique personality. This relationship has helped us to know more about our strengths and weaknesses as business owners.

2. Start communicating with your customer

The previous owner introduced us to the customers by email. Their existing customers were worried because of the change in ownership. To be honest, we were worried too! But we only had one choice; we needed them to trust us.

I started calling them, introducing myself as the new owner and inviting them to come to our office to meet us in person. I learned a lot from them as they told us about their expectations. This created so many golden opportunities for us. So, remember to be honest with your customers and communicate well.

3. Connect with your business community

Trade shows are an important way for us to connect to our business community. I do a lot of research to find the best trade shows in the food sector. I show up in these trade shows to introduce myself and my brand in the food community. This has helped us find good networks, and experts in the food manufacturing sector that have helped us to grow our business and learn more about the industry. Remember to be an integral part of your business community.

4. Follow your business plan

After about one month in business, we reviewed our business plan and found that it was not useful anymore, so we started editing it. We realized that one might not achieve 100% of set goals in a specific period, but a business plan will help choose the best way to reach one’s goals. So, our suggestion is to review your business plan regularly and follow it to reach your goals.

5. Control your expenses

In the first couple of months, you will find lots of hidden costs that may affect your business. You need to minimize unnecessary costs to decrease the financial pressure. While you’re following your business plan, follow your cash flow too. You need to update your cash flow every month.

You might find other challenges in your own business, but remember this—every challenge you might have is a lesson that you need to learn, and it will help you to be successful in your business. You have to be smart to change the threats into opportunities.

The post 5 Tips to Manage Business Stress appeared first on WeBC.

These competencies make up the interpersonal area of the EQ model:

• Interpersonal relationships
• Empathy
• Social responsibility

Let’s begin with the first competency under the Interpersonal Composite and discuss Interpersonal Relationships.

Interpersonal relationships can pertain to every relationship in your life; it can be a more personal relationship, like marriage, or a less intimate relationship, like co-workers. It is based on the amount of connection you have with another person.

Improving your competency in Interpersonal Relationships allows you to develop and maintain great, mutually satisfying relationships.

WHY IS IT VALUABLE TO HAVE INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS?

People, who develop strong interpersonal relationships with the majority of people they meet, tend to be more successful and happier in all aspects of life. Building a deeper connection with the people in your life will help build a more meaningful relationship.

HOW TO ENHANCE YOUR INTERPERSONAL SKILLS:

• Communication is the most important aspect in any relationship. The more you are willing to open up, the more of a connection will be built. When someone has effective communication skills, people tend to gravitate toward you and want to develop a deeper relationship.
• Non-verbal Communication is just as important as verbal communication. Your facial expressions and body language show how you actually feel. When spending time with someone, watch what you are NOT saying in words, but are communicating non-verbally. Negative non-verbal communication can damage the connection you have with them.
• Commit to every relationship you have. It is really easy for people to get caught up in life that they tend to unintentionally distance themselves from relationships. Make time for people; the only way to create and maintain a connection is to commit to the relationship.
• Being open-minded will help strengthen the relationship. Every person is different and they may have different views and opinions than you. Having an open mind and welcoming different views will allow the relationship to grow and become more meaningful.

If this post has you curious and you’d like to learn more, watch my video on leading with emotional intelligence (training program available in both face-to-face and online delivery formats): Leading with Emotional Intelligence.

Join me next time as I continue to break down the interpersonal emotional intelligence area, and explore the second competency in this area, empathy. Until then, follow these tips, and expect to connect.
Learn more about emotional intelligence in my previous blogs:

• A Leader’s New Best Friend
• What’s Your Score?
• What Really Matters
• Once You Know Better, You Do Better
• Can You Express Your Feelings?
• Are You Assertive?
• Freedom = Independence

The post Interpersonal Relationships – Connecting with Others appeared first on WeBC.