You’ve probably heard the statement “it’s the who, not the what.” In business, success is much more about who you have on your team than the kind of strategy you’re trying to execute on. Google wasn’t the first search engine to come along, but they had something no other search engine had: Larry Page and Sergey Brin.

Your HR policies, the policies about how you hire people and how you treat your people, can make or break your company.

==> Topgrading: A Players Only

Topgrading, by Bradford Smart is widely considered one of the most important books in HR today. The crux of the book is this: A-Grade players want to be on the same team as other A-Grade players.

Even one B-Player on a team of A-Players can wreck havoc. Your goal as a business leader is to hire a team full of A-Players.

==> Let Them Do Their Job

The trick to retaining A-Players is to give them tough challenges, then let them handle it. Don’t micromanage and don’t tell them how to do their job.

Instead, give them a broad level goal. “Make Google AdWords work.” Then let them figure it out.

A-Players love being trusted to handle problems and love the challenge of facing tough problems. If they get the sense that you don’t trust them enough to handle tough problems, they probably won’t want to be on your team.

==> Culture Matters

Company culture is one of the biggest determining factors to how happy people are when they’re working for you. It’s also one of the biggest factors to productivity and employee morale.

Involve your employees in the process of developing your company’s corporate vision, as well as the process of developing your company’s culture.

This gets people emotionally invested in the company. If they feel like they’re involved in the creation of the company’s core, they’re going to feel much more appreciated. They’ll feel like they’re part of the team.

==> Always Be Hiring

Your door should always be open to A-Grade players, even if you’re over staffed. You should always be looking for A-Grade players, no matter where you are.

If you meet someone who’s clearly an A-Grade player but they’re working for another company, give them your business card. Let them know you’re interested in hiring them should they ever leave.

==> Who Manages Hires?

Hiring should be done by you, or by someone you trust with the culture of the company. You should never entrust hiring to someone who has an HR degree, but doesn’t truly understand your company’s core.

The people you bring into your company will make up the very substance of your company. They’ll also determine a large part of your personal happiness.

Pay a lot of attention to your company’s HR policies. They’ll make or break your company.