How to Build a Great Team for your Professional Association

Serial entrepreneur and CEO of fellow.app, Aydin Mirzaee joins us on this info-packed episode about team management. Previously the co-founder and co-CEO of Fluidware, which is now owned by SurveyMonkey, Aydin has most definitely made a lasting mark on the tech industry. 

In this episode, we discuss the importance of building and maintaining a happy, cohesive and high-performing team in your association. Learn some great insights about creating corporate culture, hiring for success, employee evaluation and feedback and what to be sure to include in your company handbook.

Topics Discussed in this Episode
Here are the list of questions we asked Aydin with time stamps for easy reference.

02:14 
Aydin, can you tell us a bit about yourself and what you do?

4:00
Where would suggest association executives start in building a great team?

6:50 
Tell us about the importance of managers setting up one-to-one meetings with their individual teammates.

11:18
In a scenario where there is many challenges working with a team member (there are complaints about them, for example), how would you handle such a situation?

14:00
Tell us about setting expectations for an underperforming employee and what is the right way to have a conversation with the employee that they may not be a good fit for the role.

16:30
One-on-one meetings with employees can take up a lot of time in a manager's calendar. How often do you recommend having one-on-one meetings with your team members?

19:16
What would be a smart hiring process that you recommend?

22:00
Talk about the importance of diversity in your candidate pipeline.

23:05
Speaking of defining company values and hiring for a good fit, let's play Devil's advocate for a minute: If you share your association's values up front and state the strengths you want, do you run your risk of candidates gaming the system and misrepresenting themselves to get the job?

24:57
What conflict management advice would you offer when a manager had two people on their team who regularly do not see eye-to-eye regarding what has to be done?

29:13
When we have a new hire, we want to onboard the new employee well so they understand your values and culture. How would you go about doing that?

32:12
I want to dig into the employee handbook a little more because many associations do not have one. What would you include in am employee handbook?

34:14
How do create a good company culture?

40:00
In terms of being liked by your employees; you want to give them autonomy to be creative but where do you draw the line?

42:23
How can new managers leg go of micromanaging the work of their team?

44:05
What would be your one key takeaway for nonprofits and professional associations to build a strong team?

45:33
Can you share a personal habit that has contributed to your success?

47:06
Can you share a strategy or tool you use that contributes to your success?
 

The Books Referenced by Aydin in this Episode
High Output Management by Andrew Grove
Who: The A Method of Hiring by Geoff Smart and Randy Street 
Valve Handbook for New Employees
Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari
Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike by Phil Knight

The Art of the One-on-One Meeting eBook from Fellow.app
Aydin biggest take-away message for successful team management is always making time for one-on-one meetings with each member of your team, and to do them really well. Fellow has an ebook on one-on-one meetings, compiling all the best resources and advice that you can download for free: Download The Art of the One-on-One Meeting eBook

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