You know when your team is working well and it’s a great feeling. When it’s harmoniously making progress, it’s a precious thing. This is why adding an additional team member is such a frightening concept. You not only have to think about the individual and their ability to do the job but you have to think about the impact it will have on the existing team. Even a good new employee could be disruptive to the team as a whole.

So how to you hire without wrecking the team? You need to understand the personality mix that you have already. Once you know the team make up in terms of personality then you can see the kind of person that will fit in without disrupting the team. For instance if you already had someone in the North East of the PeopleMaps map and added another person from this region, then you can expect some upset and perhaps confrontation. That’s not to say you wouldn’t do so but you need to consider how you will manage the situation. This is why it is important to know where every team member resides on the map. Don’t assume that because the team outnumbers the new individual, that their influence will be diluted. It is true that one person can disrupt significantly even a large and established team.
Sometimes you may want to shake up the team, where you are unhappy with the present situation. Again you will need to know what you have and choose the right type of personality that will shake up your team they way you want it. Perhaps you feel the team are too complacent, then you will add someone that naturally challenges that. Or perhaps the team is a bit careless, then you will want to add someone that is fanatical about getting the details right.

Know what you’ve got and know what you’re adding and remember it’s all about people.