By Stephen Tharrett, Special AFS Contributor and Author of STUDIO SUCCESS!
In the book, First, Break All the Rules, the authors indicate that selecting talent is the first key to success in business. Well before you can hire talent, you have to recruit it. For many studio operators recruiting talent is not a priority, for that matter, most operators would not even consider talent recruitment a part of their job. Yet, in having talked with numerous club managers and studio operators, the second greatest challenge that arises on a day to day basis, is finding and keeping great talent. Interestingly enough, if you believe what the business literature espouses (e.g. that a great business starts with finding the right talent and then getting the right talent in the right roles), then you will understand the importance of the recruitment and selection process. As Jim Collins espouses in his book, Good to Great, one of the most important principles of organizational greatness is, first who…then what.