John West is a LinkedIn junkie. After meeting someone new, West sends him an invitation to connect on the networking site as soon as he gets to his computer.
“LinkedIn is the greatest tool of my lifetime” for business development and recruiting, he says.
That means a lot coming from West, an expert in the recruitment industry in Tampa who has run both startups and a $500 million business. He led Tampa-based System One, a recruitment firm acquired by Monster.com’s parent company, TMP Worldwide Inc., in 2000. West is currently chairman of Hire Velocity, a candidate-screening firm with offices nationwide, including one in Lutz.
At a recent Tech Talk sponsored by the Tampa Bay Innovation Center, West shared his top 10 tips on how to build a good team. Here are some highlights:
10. Know thyself: West believes the first thing an executive needs to do is assess his or her own strengths and weaknesses. “Think about why you are the way you are,” he advises. West realized he didn’t like being CEO because he wasn’t good at holding people accountable. He preferred working the strategy side of things. “I don’t think the only way you can grow wealthy is by being the CEO.”
9. Plan for people: West recommends creating a timeline for when you’ll need core competencies on your team. Ask questions like, “Who are the people I’m going to need in the next six to 24 months?”
8. Go outside: Outsourcing is a great way to “pay for things by the drink,” when starting a company, says West. That especially includes partnering with...
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