Don’t Clone Yourself

Okay, I’m going to warn you right off the bat: I am pretty passionate about this topic.

So many well-meaning people give trite advice without realizing the advice they are giving is flawed. One of the pieces of advice that is often erroneously given to entrepreneurs who are hiring is to “Clone Yourself”. This is terrible advice, learn why cloning yourself is one of the worst things you can do for your business.
 

Here’s why:

 

We all have strengths, we all have weaknesses, we all have things we’re awesome at and things we can’t do (or just really don’t want to do).  Part of being an entrepreneur is to be able to figure things out and make do. So, chances are you can do every basic thing needed to run your business.  Chances are even better that you aren’t very good at some of them and don’t enjoy quite a few of those tasks.

So don’t clone yourself.  One idea-producing, change-creating entrepreneur is usually enough per business.

You’re probably asking: so what kind of person should I hire then?

Build the team that can support you.

 

Take me for example, I am outgoing, I am loud, I am funny, I am talkative, I have a very high tolerance level for chaos and change.

You know what I’m terrible at? Details.

Taking the time to think through all the 77 steps that will take my idea into fruition. I am terrible at it.  I think it’s boring, boring, boring. Necessary – Yes, exciting to me – No.

So, you know what I do?  I hire people who can take my big, broad ideas and break them down into tiny, manageable chunks. To create a process so we can go from idea to execution to realization.  Because that’s my weakness.  I don’t care much about it. I prefer to focus on my strengths. And I will hire people who love to do the things I dislike doing or don’t do very well, but that my business needs to have done to thrive.

You should too.

 

If you liked this information you will love my FREE Hiring Hacks ebook – it’s packed with practical advice to make hiring well easier.

 

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