Stop Hiring Those You Have to Build, Start Hiring Those Who Built It

Throughout my six years (we turned 6 in March) as the owner of an agency (No Limit Agency*), I have learned a ton about myself as a boss, as a leader, as an employer and as a visionary. I have also learned a lot about human beings – the good, bad and ugly. I have learned about control, sacrifice and happiness, too. I have listened to others, and respect any and all criticism that comes my way. Listening is essential to figuring out this puzzle of great business. Yet, despite all of the lessons learned, I have not figured it out. The complexity of a work puzzle is enormous. Every time you twist another piece of the puzzle to connect with another piece, you struggle to understand why the last piece that worked no longer fits. Being a business owner who has a vision of 'figuring it out' is not easy. It is stressful, exhausting, yet incredibly rewarding when a single piece connects to another single piece. See, I have this vision of creating the greatest agency that ever existed. Sure, I know that path has only been completed by a handful of the greats, yet, my dream remains true and sound. When we started in Atlanta, we had an X-Factor – this thing called Social Media. At the time, no other agency had mastered the art. In 2008, I could schedule a meeting with any brand I wanted. In 2009, I couldn't. I had only a handful of employees when every advertising firm decided (all at once, in unison) to become a digital agency. We couldn't compete. In 2011, we decided to relocate our office from Atlanta to Chicago. Chicago sounded like a good place to hit the reset button and better position our PR offerings through the great availability of talent in the Second City. This move was risky in that we created a solid foundation, a staff and a beginning in Atlanta. Even with a sound foundation, I didn't feel as if we could create the greatest agency that ever existed in a market where the greatest agencies weren't based. I decided to blow up our path and take another turn. While not always a popular move to the masses, sometimes change is important to finding the right next turn for a business. When you recruit in Chicago, though, you recruit against all of the great agencies. This makes it challenging to snag the greatest talent and maintaining relationships with great talent is equally challenging. The best talent constantly thinks about the grass on the other side – especially the younger talents. They wonder what the other agencies are like. Curiosity killed the cat – curiosity made the Millennial quit and take risks of their own. Gone are the days of staying committed to a work place for 30 years. Gone are the days of giving a Rolex to that long-tenured employee. The most challenging part of creating the greatest agency that ever existed is not the results or service model – it is people. People are the most challenging piece of the puzzle to nail. In a marriage, you have to find your soul mate who you are confident will be by your side forever. In marriage, you only have to hit the lottery (Sharon is my Mega Millions) once. Find that needle in the haystack and hold onto it. In business, you have to find 30, 40, 100, 1,000 people who could potentially be with you forever. Imagine winning the lottery that many times over. Possible – but highly unlikely (thus, why so many agencies don’t become the greatest ever). Many business owners don’t worry about this. Their mentality is that they can always find another person. For me, it’s much more than that. From an access point, No Limit Agency could hire anyone we wanted. We could hire that same VP of Development that landed at a large agency. We could. But, are we talking with them? Apple doesn't have a special recruitment drug they slip into job postings. They just recruit better. Dell could have those same people – maybe the offer would have to be thicker, but they could have those people. Great people are out there for any company to recruit. I heard a conference speaker talk about a basketball coach who once said, “I have coached good players. I have coached bad players. And I am just better at coaching good players.” The point was that if you recruit good players, they have already built and retained a strong skill set. You aren't coaching them from bad to good. That line stuck with me. As did the concept of hiring people who have built something as opposed to someone you will have to build. In Chicago, there are plenty of people who have built something special. You are exactly who I am interested in working with. And I know you will be solid puzzle pieces who will help groom the greatest agency that ever existed. The puzzle will not get easier, but having focus and a vision will assist in winning the game. And just when you win a part of the puzzle, another part will go to another agency. It’s up to us, as great business owners, to find ways to hold on to our greatest talent and empower them to find more great talent. Great people attract great people. Do everything in your power to hold onto the best. Those who are not the best will call this 'playing favorites'. I call this 'cultivating talent'. In order for No Limit to become a great agency, we will need great people who want to build something great. Without that desire, No Limit will forever be a great idea without great execution. And ultimately, the responsibility of greatness falls on me – the leader, the founder, the CEO.