On this episode of the Lead With Purpose podcast host, Tze Ching Yeung talks to Doug Betts, an HR expert, about how founders can build more effective teams and the lessons that he has learned while growing his business.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
There’s a lot of things that happen on a daily basis in the corporate world that, when the pandemic happened, just didn’t make sense any more. I wanted to think about doing things in a different way and being a bit more of a positive disruptor in how I worked. For example, it seems pointless going to an office 5 days a week. If you allow a bit of flexibility you’ll benefit a lot of people’s lives.
I’m working with some contractors on my business, so I don’t have employees. But I do have external support, where I need it, from experts who can do lower-level tasks that I can’t do myself or don’t enjoy doing.
A lot of founders hit a sense of overwhelm, no matter how good you are, it can be a little bit too much and you’re not quite sure which thing to do first. Or it can be feast or famine where work can be so manic that you don’t concentrate on things like marketing and finding new business. Be on top of your numbers, because then you know when you can start to outsource tasks.
You need to find people whop align to you business and have similar values to you, and not just about how you work. Ask some behavioural questions when you interview them not just competency-based questions, seeing how they react and what their behaviours are like will let you know if you can trust them or not. Don’t manage them but give them regular ongoing feedback.
BEST MOMENTS
‘My motivation for getting out of bed in the morning and doing this is that I like helping people and solve problems.’
‘Lockdown gave me a good opportunity to reassess and think about what I was going to do next and think about my skillset in a different way.’
‘As a founder, the business is you and ultimately you’re accountable for everything, so make sure you have a clear vision, mission, and goals for your business and communicate those to your team.’
‘You’ve got to show up every day in your business, even if you’re not physically there. Your team will look up to you as the motivator and inspirer.’
ABOUT THE GUEST
Doug Betts is a visionary HR leader with over 20 years of experience across various sectors, but with a particular interest in Charities/not for profits.
ABOUT THE HOST
Tze Ching started her entrepreneurial journey back in 2007 with the launch of a sustainable clothing & home furnishing ecommerce business. Next, she created a sustainable fashion brand.
In 2019, she launched a social enterprise to help raise awareness about the negative impact of fashion at schools & colleges.
Through the 15-year journey, she learned so much, but easily the most meaningful lesson learned was about the importance of marketing. She now focuses on channelling those insights to help others succeed through We Disrupt Agency, a business coaching, mentoring & digital marketing company.
Tze Ching’s mission is to create a community of global change makers and to contribute to positive change in both people & planet.
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