When I say your business needs an ass, I’m guessing your first instinct is to disagree. Who wants to hire an ass, right? But what if I told you an ass and an asset can be one and the same thing? Believe it or not, having an ass on your team can be the best thing you’ve ever done for your business.
Of course, by “ass” I don’t mean someone who is disrespectful, disruptful or demeaning to others. What I do mean by an ass is a person who is direct, says what they think, knows what you need to do to win and drives your business process. Trust is the vital ingredient to a productive team. So, simply put, your business needs an ass, because an ass is a straight-shooter who is more concerned with honesty in support of the success of the company than with not hurting feelings. You can trust this person to say what they think and that their assessment of a situation will generally be spot-on.
You know what you want for your company, and you probably have a good idea of what you need to do to get there. The first stages for any new business are the most fragile, so don’t waste your time hiring team members who will tell you what you want to hear. Your business needs an ass who will tell you what you need to hear.
What I do mean by an ass is a person who is direct, says what they think, knows what you need to do to win and drives your business process.
Pragmatic and brutally honest people take companies from just okay to full-blown success—when they have a sense of mission that translates to corporate culture. Steve Jobs and Jeff Bezos are lauded as visionaries while simultaneously being seen as difficult to work for and with. Asses are absolutely uncompromising in pursuing their companies’ respective vision. Have Jobs and Bezos hurt feelings along the way? Certainly. But no one can deny they also achieved incredible success.
In the business world, an ass can be a true asset, because they don’t back down from the pursuit of success. And when you want to succeed on a massive scale, that’s who you want on your team.
Adding to your team isn’t always about hiring the safest person who makes everyone the most comfortable.
Need to find out who else you should have on your team? Get in touch with me here or on LinkedIn.
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