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Should I only hire A-players?

Should I only hire A-players?

Insights on how to identify types
of employees and know who you need to hire

Have you ever thought about what types of employees your team consists of? Do you have A, B, and C players working to achieve the company's goals? We hope that you have representatives of all 3 types! You may wonder why to hire B and C players if A's are better.
The answer is pretty simple. No doubt, A-players may have a significant impact on a company's performance. Yet, we've discovered that the contribution of a company's B-players is considerably more important to its long-term performance. B-players are stable, hard-working, and enthusiastic employees, who are thinking and caring about the long-term success of their company.
Man smiling at a video conference
Unfortunately, many CEOs underestimate B and C players and make their HR department just hire star performers. As a result, businesses are seeing their profits declining without knowing why.
What companies need to understand is that their B-players are not necessarily less intelligent than A-players. It's more likely that they are not as active just because of their personality. Perhaps the most distinguishing feature of B-players is their unwillingness to drawing attention to themselves, even when it is necessary.

Team having a meeting, two employees high five each other in celebration
HR specialists believe that listing the persons who make the fewest demands on the CEO's time is the easiest method for identifying B-players. Star performers, on the other hand, make sure that they scream loudly enough to get the attention they want. Another defining characteristic of B-players is that they prioritize work-life balance and place a high value on time spent with family and friends. As a result, B-players work hard to progress, but not at any cost. This mindset is not typical to most A-players, who thrive on fresh challenges and battles. Indeed, because A-players regard themselves as celebrities, they are less reliant on their employers than B-players. They are more concerned with what is good for "Personal brand" than with what is good for the firm.
So, then what about C-players? Actually, you have to be very careful with them. In some cases, they can really help your A-players with some assignments. But sometimes they can demotivate the whole team. Princeton Executive Coach said:

If you're thoughtful, you can shift some work to a solid C-player who will free up your A-players to do more of what they do best. Solid C-players often love to do things that A-players loathe — and they can do them better. Beware of C-players who drag people down. Help them on to their next opportunity, preferably with your toughest foe.
Joe Casey, Princeton Executive Coaching

Woman talking on a video conference
In order to identify what type of employee you are dealing with, Retalent suggests you consider the following points:
  • How they are dealing with given tasks?
  • What happens when they need to do something new?
  • How is recruiting process going?
  • Do they ask for help?
  • A Players
    • You don't have to worry, the task will be done before the deadline
    • They teach themselves when they have to learn something new
    • You are looking for similar candidates
    • They ask for help when they don't know how to do the task
  • B Players
    • They need some guidance for the given tasks
    • You have to guide them towards how to learn new things
    • You tend to look for better candidates
    • They are trying to figure out everyrhing on their own, and therefore waste a lot of time
  • C Players
    • You are worried tasks won't be done on time
    • When they need to learn something new, you must show them exactly how to do it, and quite often it is done incorrectly
    • You are looking for very different candidates
    • They seldom ask for help and instead abandon the project
You have to be very attentive to people working for your company. It's crucial to remember that everyone is very different. Make sure that you assign tasks in accordance with employees' type and skills. It is to say that it is good to have representatives of all types of employees in your team. They can back up each other and achieve outstanding results together.

Of course, the first step to building a great team is hiring the right people. Here, at Retalent, we specialize in finding talents from Eastern Europe that will perfectly fit your team, book your free consultation to find out more about it.