Leaders Perception Magazine is currently running an interview series called – What Are The Top 5 Mistakes People Make When Starting A New Business?
Today, we had the opportunity to interview Kathleen Steffey who is a CEO/Founder at Naviga Recruiting & Executive Search.
Interviewee Name: Kathleen Steffey
Company: Naviga Recruiting & Executive Search
Kathleen Steffey’s favourite quote: “Energy Goes Where Attention Flows”
The Interview
Thank you so much for joining us today! Tell us a little bit about yourself. What is your backstory?
Kathleen Steffey : Kathleen Steffey, CEO/Founder of Naviga Recruiting & Executive Search, has over 25 years of talent acquisition and business leadership experience. She has unique insight into the corporate talent acquisition world, agency recruiting, and what it takes to manage and lead a team of marketers and recruiters in the digital landscape. In addition, she has been a guest on over 30 podcasts in the last two years providing thought leadership and industry expertise.
In your opinion, what makes your company stand out? Any examples?
Kathleen Steffey : Our process is a massive differentiator when serving our clients along with our marketing initiatives for inbound lead generation.
What are the TOP 5 mistakes people make when starting a new business? Please share advice/examples for all of them.
Kathleen Steffey : Following “corporate” narratives:
I wish someone would have told me this sooner. Stay true to yourself from the beginning vs. following “corporate” narratives or the way they think you should run a business based on an MBA. I was initially trying to follow certain standards and do things in this mold which prevented me from being true to myself. Once I was able to release that idea of following corporate narratives, my personality, love for people, and compassion showed. I am doing things how I want to do them now and this has allowed me the greatest success in business.
Not having the necessary passion:
It is essential to have passion when launching/managing a business because passion equals sustainability. If you don’t have passion, getting through the hard times will be impossible. Passion allows you to stay focused on the heart of the business and it’s the reason why you’re operating the business. It also prevents you from getting down in the dumps and not being able to see the light of day when things in the business aren’t going your way.
Having the wrong people in the business:
I have recently learned that the right team makes the company. The right team with a similar passion and motivation for doing good can impact the business in such great ways, even when sales are down. My team is always helping me and inspiring me to do better. I literally look at my team as peers of mine that keep me accountable to be the best and do the best for the business. I can’t even imagine one specific example to mention; they are just ongoing support for me.
Playing it too safe:
I’ve recently taken a risk and have decided to take a step back in my day-to-day leadership with my recruiters and started hiring people who have the innate drive and dedication to do good for themselves and the Naviga business. This was a great risk for me because I thought it would potentially damage the business. Instead, I’ve realized that if you hire the right people and they’re motivated in the same way, the results speak for themselves. After taking that chance and backing off from the day-to-day leadership, overall sales have increased 26% and there’s been a 20% increase in gross profit since making this change.
Failing to implement a hiring process:
You need to establish a hiring plan! If you don’t have a hiring plan and a way of approaching hiring, then it is a recipe for disaster. Startups need an approach to establish fundamentals in the business. It’s important to have a standard hiring process so you can measure results, execute against them and hold yourself accountable to improve them. It is extremely important, if not the most important thing, to put a process in place.
Leaders Perception magaizne would like to thank Kathleen Steffey for the time dedicated to completing this interview and sharing their valuable insights with our readers!
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