We crave the new. Last week I wrote about how this can hurt client revenue. But it also shows its addictive face when it comes to our teams.

If your business needs a new hire, pause. Does this create an opportunity for someone in your existing team? Can someone fill the role and allow you to backfill with the new hire? Could this be a cross-skilling or promotion opportunity for someone already on your team, while someone new gets their current role?

It’s a great way to reward your team while deepening the skills in your company.

When you need to hire, do this:
1. See whether the role you need to fill can be filled by someone internal.
2. If it can, then do it. Then spend as much time preparing and supporting them as you would a new hire, and also have them mentor your new recruit into their old role. You’ll double the chances of success in both roles.
3. Once you’ve hired, make sure your onboarding process creates an emotional tie into the company as quickly as possible. But don’t obsess over your new starter to the detriment of your existing team.

If you expend at least the same effort on looking after your team as you do on recruitment, and provide an environment where they have opportunities to grow, you’ll make your business stronger and have a deeper foundation for scale.