| This month the fastest cars in the world race against each other in the Indianapolis 500. You can be sure each driver's pit crew has been hard at work long before the checkered flag drops. Without a top notch crew, the race is over even before the drivers hear the magic words, "Gentlemen...start your engines." It's the same track for anyone running a company. Before they rev up their company's engines, they need to assemble the perfect pit crew. Here are three hiring tips you can learn from the Indy 500 that will help any company move through the tricky curves at maximum speed.
2. Assemble the right crew. Champion Indy 500 teams like Andretti Green Racing know that they're only as fast as their slowest crew member. So when they put together their pit crew team, they make sure they bring in the right kind of person: professionals who know what they're doing, are willing to learn and willing to work hard as part of a team. Same goes for your company. If the gears don't mesh, the car won't run swiftly or smoothly. Successful companies need pros who can work together seamlessly and at the speed of greased lightening. Pros know that in any business, time is not only money, it's the make-break point that spells victory or defeat. Everyone you hire is essential. Since you've streamlined (See #1 above) and know what you need, you'll know who to look for. Remember, one bad pick can slow you down, cost you money and possibly destroy your company in a flash. 3. Train your new crew to be the best. After streamlining your needs and hiring the best available crew, you can help them become the #1 team in your field -- as long as you know how to train them to handle emergencies with the creativity and efficiency born of real teamwork. Indy 500's crew chiefs understand this. To have a perfect pit stop, their crews train heavily during the off-season. They practice in special areas that are the same size as their stop pit. They videotape every action. After practice they'll watch the tapes to figure out ways to move even more efficiently. Every motion is timed with a stopwatch because a pit crews' goal is to do a perfect job as fast as possible. "Cartoonental"
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Did You Know?At the Indy 500, each of the pit crews' seven team members is essential to winning the race.
First Start, First Team, First Rate In 1977, Janet Guthrie was the first woman to earn a starting spot and compete in the Indy 500. A year later she was the first woman to put together and manage her own pit crew team. |
1. Streamline and define. Before you hire, define the job tasks at your company. Streamline down to the essential jobs, just like the pit crews at Indy 500. Load your team with talent, but don't over hire. Be certain that the positions you're filling are necessary ones that contribute to the acceleration of your company.
