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 – How Hiring and Firing Builds a Better Business

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Hosted by HerBusiness

On air:

7 April 2015

Click to download the interview

 

In this herBusiness podcast interview with the Australian Businesswomen’s Network, Natasha Hawker discusses how businesses that build high performing teams have increased profit, increased customer satisfaction, increased customer loyalty and an increased ability to attract employees.

Natasha emphasises the importance of employees: they are a lever for your business, with the potential to make your business grow faster than ever before to become more successful.

Natasha gives practical advice that all business owners will benefit from:

  • There is strength in collective wisdom so when building a team, hire people better than you
  • Invest time in setting up contracts – when trouble arises, you’ll need them
  • Be an authentic leader – you’re not expected to be everything to everyone. Showing some weakness is a sign of strength
  • Bad performance shouldn’t be tolerated as it impacts on productivity as well as company morale. Small businesses cannot afford employees who are not up to standard so it’s vital to performance manage people out of your business
  • Conduct exit interviews – employees are more likely to share information that they may not have shared otherwise at this stage. The information that you receive may be enormously powerful for your data, and helpful for your business

Read Natasha’s book, From Hire to Fire — Everything In-Between, to learn how to:

  • Manage people
  • Assess whether you’re in a position to hire
  • Manage your team effectively and get more engagement through policy creation
  • Hire more effectively
  • Manage your employee’s career journey
  • Avoid unfair dismissal claims

This post was co-authored by Halie Lange. Halie is currently completing a web and design internship at the Australian Businesswomen’s Network. She studies Graphic Design and Marketing at the University of Minnesota Duluth.

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About the host

Suzi Dafnis

Hi there. I’m Suzi Dafnis, CEO at HerBusiness. My BIG passion is helping women business owners to grow and scale their business, so that they can create their ideal lifestyle and make a difference in the world. Every day I am inspired by the more than 30,000 amazing women (and men!) in our community and I love finding the best education, mentors, and resources from around the globe, to help them get the skills, knowledge, and support they need to succeed. It’s been my privilege to lead HerBusiness (formerly The Australian Businesswomen’s Network) for the past 23 years (two+ decades – WOW!) because, whilst I’ve enjoyed success in business, I’ve also experienced the highs and the lows – sometimes you can feel on top of the world and in control and other times you can feel isolated, exhausted and stuck. What has made the biggest difference for me has always been having great people around me and having a lifelong commitment to learning. That’s why I am so passionate about the work we do here at HerBusiness – providing a Connection Network for women in business to get the mentors, contacts, referrals, knowledge, and skills they need to grow their confidence, make more money, build their businesses, expand their network and create the lives they love. My entrepreneurial journey started in the spare room of my Sydney apartment in 1994 when my business partner and I started a boutique events company that represented speakers and authors from the USA, here in Australia. Over the years I’ve grown multiple multi-million dollar businesses in the events, publishing and education niches – with teams in Australia, New Zealand, and the USA. Not everything has worked and there has been a degree of trial and error, and a lot of bumps in the road. But I have always had a strong commitment to always surrounding myself with great mentors and like-minded peers – a Connection Network that I can depend on and who can depend on me to be there for them too. I truly do what I love, every day.  

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About the guest(s)

Natasha Hawker

Natasha Hawker

Natasha Hawker is the author of From Hire to Fire & Everything in Between. She has over 20 years of experience in Human Resource Management and is the Director of Employee Matters. Working in Australia and also internationally across Europe, USA, India and Asia Pacific, Natasha also has industry experience across banking and finance, professional services, IT consulting, insurance and corporate travel. Natasha helps SMEs maximise the productivity of their team through hiring the right people, increasing engagement and navigating the complexity of Fair Work Act. She also helps clients manage non-performers out of their businesses.

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