It’s been a year of explosive growth for the Chicago Hubspot User Group (HUG) and that is because of the hard work and HubSpot passion of Stephanie Casstevens and Debra Monkman! There have been seven Chicago Hubspot User Group (HUG) meet ups in 2017 and each one has provided so much value—from workshops with HubSpot Academy professors to panels recapping INBOUND 2017!
For the last HUG of 2017, Stephanie and Deb went all out. There were holiday stockings filled with HubSpot swag, book giveaways, and they brought Bob Ruffolo, CEO and Founder of IMPACT, to speak on 7 ways to get people to see their future at your company.
Bob’s presentation didn’t sugarcoat IMPACT’s journey and that was incredibly inspiring. He shared about financial and recruiting challenges that arose several years ago, how his company overcame adversity and how they are performing currently. (Spoilers: They are doing outstanding because they were just awarded 2017 HubSpot Partner of the Year.)
One of my favorite parts of his presentation revolved around the importance of defining expectations within a specific role at the company. Bob shared a slide with a typical job description for a marketing account manager. The example showed that the marketing account manager oversaw social media and SEO efforts, several marketing accounts, managed a team, and would write several blogs for the company. Bob recommends clearly defining job expectations within the role itself versus listing generic duties—as most companies currently do. By doing this, job expectations are known at the beginning of the hiring process and employees are set up to exceed in their role within 30 days.
“Bob emphasized a point that many companies fail to understand, though it's one that remains invaluable to fostering a healthy and productive work culture. The focus for many companies tends to be placed on clients, revenue, and the bottom line, which although is vital to the longevity of the enterprise, is not necessarily aligned with the needs of its employees. When a company creates an environment that works best for the people who work there -- not just in terms of salary/benefits, but PTO, culture, flexibility, a safe place for new ideas, etc. -- people will feel passionately about working there and what they do. And when the passion for the work is there, that passion will trickle down to the clients, and ultimately, the success of the company.” –Kyle Shamorian, content marketer at Putman Media.
What are some of your tips for hiring and retaining top talent? Share them in the comments below!
