We are expanding and need to get extra staff members on board fast. But how can I ensure I recruit effectively? We don't have time for the usual checks but I want motivated personnel, those that can get on with the job, rather than those that end up being carried by the team. Any tips? LD, Dubai
In a growing business, there is always the struggle of wanting to bring people in fast, to meet increasing demands and stretching expansion plans. Often the commercial requirements outweigh the resources you have to meet them. Hence, this is where your desire to quickly bring people on board may have arisen from.
From my own perspective, the team I work in has grown from three to 11 people in the past two years. Yet this human capital growth was measured and we avoided short cuts at all costs. Today, we really feel the benefits of taking a little longer and our team leader bringing different points of view into the decision-making process.
It is for this very reason that I am going to start my response by saying that if you want motivated personnel who can get on with the job rather than hangers on, or those who prefer to coast, then not making time for the usual checks is setting yourself up for failure. I understand time is of the essence but I would urge you while still operating at pace, to make sure you make considered, well-informed recruitment decisions.
Bringing new people into your team is an important step as you identify future colleagues based not only on their technical competence, but also their talents, fit and motivation. Remember, every one of us came into this life with our own unique strengths. Some are obvious, such as the ability to deliver an effective presentation, while others have less apparent ones, like the ability to appreciate others or the ability to consciously plan and organise work.
Whether the skills of others are publicly obvious or not, they can become very powerful allies for team leaders who recognise them, develop them and appreciate them.
Remember, if you bring in the wrong person (whose talents do not meet what you are looking for) it will take much more time and energy to move them on than it would have to have spent a little longer to bring the right person in the first place. Trust me, I have been there, I have experienced working in a team of psychologists in a previous role, where the focus was purely on meeting capacity.
The head of the department brought psychologists in one after the other to run a large training programme that was required to be delivered a number of times a year.
It was unfortunate how this happened so fast and before you knew it, you had people within the team who didn’t live the values, have the right attitude and even struggled to collaborate with each other.
After a while the original team members, like me, felt like outsiders. It is funny as psychologists with all this knowledge of human behaviour that even we struggled to find the right fit.
Companies that succeed, like some of the biggest names in Silicon Valley, focus a vast amount of their energy on team fit. Of course they want technically competent people who can do the job but they also want those who can live the values. I am not saying you spend months on a lengthy or costly recruitment process selecting for cultural fit. Instead, I want you to pay attention to it and also put some safety nets in place in case you are mistaken, and admit early on if you are.
For example, during selection you will meet them yourself but also bring in trusted team members and listen to their feedback. Post hire, give yourself a long enough probation period where you can see the person in action and reverse the decision if need be. Give yourself enough time and opportunities so that you are not just relying on your own opinion.
Doctor’s prescription:
Small teams are especially susceptible to recruiting people to fit particular jobs, rather than to fit the team or the company. However, the effect of having the wrong person in a small team can be catastrophic; within larger teams there is much more room to hide. Take a little longer up front and it will save you time and energy in the long run.
Alex Davda is a business psychologist and client director at Ashridge Executive Education, Hult International Business School, and is based in the Middle East. Email him at business@thenational.ae for advice on any work issues.
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The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
The specs: 2019 BMW i8 Roadster
Price, base: Dh708,750
Engine: 1.5L three-cylinder petrol, plus 11.6 kWh lithium-ion battery
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power: 374hp (total)
Torque: 570Nm (total)
Fuel economy, combined: 2.0L / 100km
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Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Premier Futsal 2017 Finals
Al Wasl Football Club; six teams, five-a-side
Delhi Dragons: Ronaldinho
Bengaluru Royals: Paul Scholes
Mumbai Warriors: Ryan Giggs
Chennai Ginghams: Hernan Crespo
Telugu Tigers: Deco
Kerala Cobras: Michel Salgado
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Dr Amal Khalid Alias revealed a recent case of a woman with daughters, who specifically wanted a boy.
A semen analysis of the father showed abnormal sperm so the couple required IVF.
Out of 21 eggs collected, six were unused leaving 15 suitable for IVF.
A specific procedure was used, called intracytoplasmic sperm injection where a single sperm cell is inserted into the egg.
On day three of the process, 14 embryos were biopsied for gender selection.
The next day, a pre-implantation genetic report revealed four normal male embryos, three female and seven abnormal samples.
Day five of the treatment saw two male embryos transferred to the patient.
The woman recorded a positive pregnancy test two weeks later.
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
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Rating: 4.5/5
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This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Super 30
Produced: Sajid Nadiadwala and Phantom Productions
Directed: Vikas Bahl
Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Pankaj Tripathi, Aditya Srivastav, Mrinal Thakur
Rating: 3.5 /5
Scorecard
Scotland 220
K Coetzer 95, J Siddique 3-49, R Mustafa 3-35
UAE 224-3 in 43,5 overs
C Suri 67, B Hameed 63 not out
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
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Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
HOW TO WATCH
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What went into the film
25 visual effects (VFX) studios
2,150 VFX shots in a film with 2,500 shots
1,000 VFX artists
3,000 technicians
10 Concept artists, 25 3D designers
New sound technology, named 4D SRL
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
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Dunbar
Edward St Aubyn
Hogarth