Anne Tobin, TobinConnex
Anne Tobin’s company Tobin Connex” provides HR services to 20 smaller companies in the Boston area. At any given time she has up to a dozen people deployed to working with customers. Most of her people have many years experience working in HR and provide the full slate of HR services such as hiring, firing, benefits management, policies, and writing employee manuals on an “ as needed” basis.
RELIES ON HUMAN COMMUNICATION VS. TECHNOLOGY TO KEEP HER TEAM IN STEP
Her company is totally virtual, but unlike everyone else I’ve spoken with for this article, Anne uses very little technology to manage her business. Though customers situations are dynamic, her business has no information-sharing vehicle, nor does she tie into her customer’s intranets because that would be a very big time & resource challenge. Her firm does not even have a Web site, though creating one is in her 2010 plan. “My business is all about relationships and proving your value. I need to make sure I have up to date information on my clients so I can do the HR work they require. Managing a virtual team requires a lot of follow up on my part… I regularly attend customer staff meetings … I am able to keep a lot of balls in the air.”
“My team is autonomous – we do not need to share information throughout the day, though we talk often, and when we do we focus on how to get things done. “ Every Friday she and her staff hold a huddle meeting.
The model works – since the days she opened her doors and even in the current economic downturn, Anne’s business continues to thrive.
WHEN HIRING, SHE SEEKS CERTAIN PERSONALITY TRAITS
When hiring new consultants Anne seeks seasoned people who communicate clearly and are “politely assertive”, else they will get lost in the dust of fast-moving startups. They must be able to quickly morph into a customer’s culture, while standing firm with CEOS who want to bend rules that conflict with ethics and law. “You have to be strong enough to win them over and push back – to tell them “You can’t do that!!” Anne has been interviewing people for many years and relies upon straight forward skills assessment and “gut instinct” to effectively determine whether a person will work out. Employees and customers all come to her through referrals, so she never has to dip into the unknown.
Everyone must do excellent work and continually prove their value. If she feels a new hire has good potential she gives them time to absorb her firm’s cultural values. “Some get it quicker – you have to be nimble and get the job done while not being overly methodical”. Trying to be perfect is impractical & time consuming, which is not a good thing when you bill clients by the hour.
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