How did one tech company grow from 0 to 600,000+ users, and from 3 employees to over 160, in just three years?
In 2011, three friends rolled up their sleeves and got to working. If they were going to be successful and grow their start-up beyond their national borders, they needed to get organised.
Sure, strategy and hard work played a large part in getting their company off the ground, but the tech founders found one thing essential to bringing everything to fruition: organisation, organisation, organisation.
The founders identified three essential factors to organizing such a feat, especially given that their team was made up of a 100% remote workforce. These factors included: Team, Tools and Process.
Organisation Through Team, Tools and Process
The first factor, Team, refers to their practice of hiring people who can be trusted to be effective remote workers—organised, hard workers who care about the mission and producing quality work. When this is accomplished, tangible organisation arrives thanks to their well-thought-out Tools and Process.
“Tools are important in a remote workplace because they enable you to better organize the team and keep everyone on the same page,” says one of the company’s co-founders, pointing out that identifying the right tools means considering how to help everyone effectively communicate at both the small scale, like tapping someone on the shoulder for a quick question, and the large scale, like project updates.
Then comes Process, which not only keeps everyone on the same page but must be ingrained in the culture.
“Good processes let you get work done in the absence of all else. It provides structure and direction,” he explains, but “that doesn't mean processes should be rigid, unchanging or pointless.” In fact, an important factor of their continued success is their commitment to evolving their tools and processes as they grow rather than trying to force a team of six to address the needs of a team of 20, 50 or even 100.
By evolving based on their three tenets of organized management, these tech founders were able to build a positive work culture and even achieve profitability within their first two years of operation.
Why hire skilled organizers?
Organisational skill is “the ability to use your time, energy, resources, etc. in an effective way so that you achieve the things you want to achieve.”
With a little guidance, organized people get things done wherever they are. They better understand how to prioritize and more easily identify which tasks are needed to move things forward. Often, organizers are great at both small, one-person projects as well as planning larger campaigns and delegating to multiple team members. This makes them a strong asset at multiple levels, but especially as today’s workforce gets more remote.
“With the increase in remote working and more autonomous roles, the ability to self-manage, organize and plan effectively, both on a day-to-day and long-term basis, is now considered a standard requirement,” explains Darren Robinson, Badenoch + Clark’s Regional Head of Belgium and Luxembourg.
Interview questions: How to identify people with organisational skills
Pay attention to candidates’ written communication when scheduling interviews and following up afterward. Often the way people write their emails can give away whether they have an organized thought process.
During interviews, work in a few of the below questions to help you determine whether a candidate’s strengths include organisation. Look for evidence that the person across the table can prioritize projects, categorize tasks and delegate to others when needed. Some example questions include:
- Have you ever managed a complicated project? How did you approach it from beginning to end and in what ways did you keep the project team on track?
- Have you ever felt overwhelmed by your workload? How did you handle that?
- When do you feel it makes sense to delegate tasks?
- What is your daily work routine?
- How would you regularly assess your own and your team’s success in this role?
- Can you share any organisational tips and tricks?
Every great team needs a mix of strengths. To keep your teams running smoothly, hiring someone with organisational skills is a must. At Badenoch + Clark, we’re constantly connecting with organized candidates—ones who can best help our clients manage and mobilize their teams and projects.
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