In small firms, every team member is business critical. These businesses are historically under-resourced, so staff often end up doing double or triple duty, wearing several hats in the interest of keeping overhead costs down. It’s vital, then, for small businesses to build balanced, effective teams able to adapt to changing needs and weather all sorts of challenges.
Kazim Ladimeji, of Recruiter.com, suggests that to achieve a dynamic team, there are six key personality traits every small business should have represented on staff:
- The Coach – The need for training and ongoing development is still there, even when the budget for it is not. Small firms need team members who enjoy sharing their knowledge and are talented in teaching others to ensure that their workers ramp up quickly and that they stay apprised of industry best practices.
- The Creative – The most successful small businesses are innovative and even at times unorthodox. Creatives are crucial to small businesses as generators of new ideas, propelling the organization into new territory.
- The Juggler – Employees who can serve in several capacities are also essential. Staff of this variety make the business as a whole more agile, adaptive and able to manage uncertainty.
- The Decision Maker – Staff who are comfortable taking the initiative and leaning on their own experience and good judgment to make decisions on day-to-day issues are assets as well, as small business leadership must necessarily focus on strategy and business development.
- The Cautious One – While creativity is certainly important, cautious team members are equally so. Invention is well and good, but any risk-taking must be measured. More guarded staff can help to protect the firm against steps that may leave it exposed or vulnerable.
- The Completer/Finisher – Creatives can be heavy on idea generation, but light on execution. That’s why this type of worker is also a must have. This sort takes action and gets the job done – imperative when it comes to meeting deadlines and getting products to market.
