MSMP 103: Ceri Hurford-Jones on Hiring the Right People and Teaching Skills

What Does MSMP 103: Ceri Hurford-Jones on Hiring the Right People and Teaching Skills Talk About?

In this episode of the Mads Singers Management Podcast, host Mads Singers welcomes Ceri Hurford-Jones, a seasoned entrepreneur who started his career on a farm and rose to become managing director of Spire FM before launching his own business. The conversation centers on effective management, particularly hiring the right people and instilling values within a team. Ceri emphasizes that leaders must live their values authentically to influence others, and that transparency with staff about company finances empowers them to make better decisions. The episode also explores the importance of building a team that takes pride in the business, hiring slowly and firing quickly, and focusing on team well-being over pure metrics.

You can't share your values if you don't live or follow your values in life.Ceri Hurford-Jones

Who Is Featured on MSMP 103: Ceri Hurford-Jones on Hiring the Right People and Teaching Skills?

Ceri Hurford-Jones is a business leader with a remarkable journey from farmhand to managing director of Spire FM, a radio station, and eventually founding his own business. He shares Mads Singers' passion for helping businesses develop and succeed. Ceri's personal values include being open, honest, fair, fun, professional, and unconventional. He believes that these values must be consistently practiced to have a positive impact on staff and company culture. Having faced challenges like a hostile takeover of his radio station, Ceri demonstrates resilience and the ability to bounce back, which he attributes to his commitment to transparency and empowering his team.

What Are the Key Takeaways From MSMP 103: Ceri Hurford-Jones on Hiring the Right People and Teaching Skills?

• Leaders must live their values consistently to effectively share them with their team.
• Employees who take pride in their work tend to stay longer and contribute more to business success.
• Hiring should be a slow, deliberate process, while firing should be swift to maintain team quality.
• Transparency with staff about company profits and losses encourages informed decision-making and alignment.
• Managers should prioritize team well-being over focusing solely on statistics and numbers.

Good people stay longer because they take pride in their business.Ceri Hurford-Jones

Is MSMP 103: Ceri Hurford-Jones on Hiring the Right People and Teaching Skills Worth Listening To?

This episode is a must-listen for managers and business owners looking to build a strong, value-driven team. Ceri Hurford-Jones offers practical advice on hiring, transparency, and leadership that can be immediately applied. The discussion is authentic and grounded in real-world experience, making it both inspiring and actionable. Listeners will gain fresh perspectives on creating a culture where employees feel like owners and are motivated to steer the business toward success. The episode's focus on people over numbers is a timely reminder in today's data-driven world.

Who Should Listen to MSMP 103: Ceri Hurford-Jones on Hiring the Right People and Teaching Skills?

• Small business owners
• New managers
• Entrepreneurs
• HR professionals

What Are Listeners Saying About This Episode?

Welcome to another episode of the Mads Singers Management Podcast!Joining us today is Ceri Hurford-Jones. Ceri has had humble beginnings by working on a farm but eventually made his way up and worked by being the managing director of Spire FM and finally starting his own business. 

Ceri and I share the same passion for helping businesses develop, grow, and succeed. So today, Ceri and I sat down to talk about management and how to hire the right people. 

Being open, honest, fair, fun, professional, and unconventional are Ceri's values; however, he shares that, while we can share or influence others to follow our values, these won't work or impact if we do not follow our values. And although change doesn't happen overnight, you will eventually see many positive changes (and close more deals) in yourself and your staff. However, simply writing down your values and making stuff up along the way to prop up a company or brand quickly won't help it survive in the long run. 

Like most business owners, Ceri also had his share of difficulties in his career where another group tried to do their job, and although this led to the radio being bought, Ceri was able to bounce back. 

Ceri stresses the importance of being open with your staff by sharing whatever profit or loss you've made because this allows your staff to help gain an insight into the business or company and make them steer the business in the right direction. An informed team is also good at making decisions that will help you and everyone else involved in the industry.

Key Learning Points:

1. Ceri says that you can't share your values if you don't live or follow your values in life - 3:44
2. Although it sounds cliche, Ceri shares how a staff that makes you (the business owner) look good can work wonders for your company and/or brand. - 5:38
3. Mads shares how businesses, especially the small ones, are helping people by offering jobs because this allows people to have something to look up to. - 07:21
4. Ceri says that good people (employees) stay longer because they take pride in their business. - 08:24 
5. Mads says that when it comes to hiring people, one should start with their staff because people like working with like-minded people.- 10:39
6. Ceri encourages business owners and managers to be open with their team by sharing updates about its projects.- 12:44
7. Ceri says that business owners should not be scared to make their staff "mini-owners" in their business or schemes. - 19:15
8. Ceri shares that one shouldn't start something if they're not going to see it through seriously- 20:47
9. Ceri adds that business owners should hire slowly and fire quickly - 21:18
10. Mads says that managers shouldn't sit around and focus on the stats and numbers but instead focus on their team members well-being.- 27:00

Connect with Ceri:

LinkedIn