Any business owner who wants to expand their company must ensure that a strong management team is in place. However, many make the mistake of assuming that great teams simply come together. The truth is a great team must be constructed. Detailed in this article are Keith Orie’s 7 tips that will help accomplish that goal.

Keith Orie is the owner of Advanced Medical Sales LLC, a Texas-based company selling premium-grade durable medical equipment (DME) at affordable prices. He started the company late in college to help medical professionals effectively treat patients through non-invasive pain relief procedures. Mr. Orie studied finance at Southern Methodist University and completed internships at Morgan Stanley Dean Witter and Federal Home Loan Bank in Dallas, Texas. This experience gave him the strong foundation needed to dive into entrepreneurial waters.

Finding the right people.

Unfortunately, management teams don’t just come pre-assembled. It’s up to you to find and get the very best candidates to have on your team. You want to be able to trust your management team to make decisions without constantly needing to call on you, so you really need to take the time to make sure you are hiring the right people for the team. In order to find the best of the best, we really recommend staying away from posting your job positions publicly. When a job is posted on an online job board or bulletin, anybody is free to apply. This will just make the process of finding the right people so much harder because you will be spending hours sorting through masses of applications from people who are simply not qualified. To avoid this, we recommend hiring a headhunter or executive search firm. These firms can be costly, but it will save you a lot of time and wasted energy. They will present you with pre-screened candidates who match the qualifications you are looking for, which will make the process a lot easier for you.

Networking.

Another great way to craft a stellar management team is by networking. This can be a less costly alternative or used in conjunction with hiring a headhunter. Try to find some networking events or conferences in your area where you can go and meet people in the same business as you. This will allow you to meet the candidates in person before the official interview so you can judge their character, charisma, and personality before a resume lands on your desk. Networking is also a great way to hear recommendations about candidates straight from the mouths of people who know them, people they’ve worked with, and even former or current bosses of theirs.

Know What You are Looking For.

In order to craft the best management team possible, you need to really iron out what exactly you are looking for. Do you want a CEO, a president, a Chief Marketing Officer, and a Chief Financial Officer, Project Manager, or any combination of the above? Don’t just plan to interview people and then decide. Come to the table with the exact positions you are looking to hire to craft your very best management team.

The Interview.

So you’ve found some qualified candidates that you like enough to bring in for an interview. The interview process is an important step to see how the candidates work under pressure. At the interview, you’ll want to spend some time really explaining the job to the candidate so they know exactly what you are looking for. Also, take some time to describe your dream management team and the kinds of traits and characteristics you’re looking for from the team members. Interviews are a great chance to get a feel for the candidate. Can you trust them? Do you have good chemistry? Are they charismatic? The things that simply can’t be judged on paper typically reveal themselves during the first interview.

Set Expectations.

Once your team is in place, you don’t want it to be a free-for-all. Start setting expectations from the moment you meet the candidates and reiterate those expectations when they are hired and until you think they know what is expected. Then, you can assess their performance based on the expectations in 30 or 90-day intervals.

Evaluate Leadership.

In order for your management team to be as effective as possible, you need to make sure the people you have hired are stellar leaders. Talk with your other employees about how they feel leadership is doing. You can also use behavioral software programs to assess your management team’s leadership styles. Afterward, you can talk with them about areas they need to improve their leadership.

Build a Strong Relationship.

Once your team is in place, you will want to forge a strong relationship with them. You want them to feel heard and seen at work and have them know that their opinion really matters. Take some time, especially in the beginning, to meet with your management team in-person daily. Address any difficulties they are having with getting adjusted and any other concerns or questions they may have. Pave the road to have an open, honest relationship with your management team to get the best results.

Once you’ve got your stellar management team in place, it’s time to loosen the reigns and trust them to do their jobs. After all, you went through a thorough process to find the very best candidates in whom you are entrusting to nourish and grow your business.