Every business fills a void in the marketplace, and here at RMG Staffing, we like to think the void we fill is helping some of the Magic City’s most beautiful events go off without a hitch. But it’s not just one or two people that get the job done – the real magic comes when we put together an incredible team of talented individuals who, when combined, have all the skills your company needs to bring an event together.
Trying to coordinate a team of staff members? Follow our lead and consider the points below. We’ve used them ourselves, so trust us: with this advice, a winning staff is pretty much guaranteed.
Let your employees guide you.
Whatever staff you hire needs to have a certain set of basic skills, yes; but it’s also in the best interest of all involved to hire employees that are passionate. And when you hire them, apply their skills to an area of the job they’re actually passionate about. For example, if you know a team member loves to organize, put him or her in charge of inventory. If they love to interact with people, make them a bartender or a VIP server. By letting your team members do what they’re actually passionate about, you’ll have both a happy staff and a job well done.
Really… it’s not all about skills.
That said, hiring someone isn’t always about skill. To be frank, skills you can teach, but smarts you cannot. Instead of looking at what they’ve done, look at what potential employees can do – hire people who are intelligent, competitive and who will learn quickly on the job. Most importantly, as a general rule, try and find staff members who think outside the box. Why? Especially in the hospitality world, you never know what problems will arise, and your staff needs to be able to handle whatever is thrown their way.
Hire employees capable of making their own decisions.
Thanks to corporate hierarchy, many times, decisions are made at the top by people who have very little hands-on experience in the arena they are making a decision about. Despite the chain of command, decisions shouldn’t always be made by management. If you’ve done what you’re supposed to and you’ve hired a talented team, trust that team to make decisions that apply to their own groups and daily roles. This will not only give your staff a sense of ownership, but it will fast-track current employees into future managers.
And if a problem arises, have faith in them.
In the hospitality industry, problems will always come up – always. In fact, they’re inevitable, and there’s no telling what those problems will be. Regardless of what it is, however, don’t get involved unless you absolutely need to. If someone is unhappy with his or her meal, trust that your server will handle it appropriately. If a guest needs something, trust that your team members will get it to them quickly and easily. It’s important to remember that we’re all human, so sometimes, complaints will happen for no reason. When it comes to solving problems, especially menial problems, there’s nobody better (or at least there shouldn’t be anyone better) than your own team to come up with the best answer.
