Human Resources New Year Resolutions
From the time of the first interview to the day they leave our employ, there are dozens of issues that all small business owners face in managing the humans who work with us. There are many human resources activities that I could address in this article, but the ones I have picked out are areas that I think could use a little extra emphasis.Resolution One: I resolve to provide more training for my employees, especially in areas like:
• Salesmanship: Perhaps the most egregious errors small business owners perpetrate on themselves is sending someone they have anointed as a salesperson into the marketplace unarmed. If you think selling is more art than science, more talking than technical, then I was probably talking about you in the previous sentence.
I'm not concerned about product specifications and pricing strategy; you'll do a good job of training in that area. But in the 21st century, selling is more about problem solving than products - more about the human interaction than the industry.
Small businesses rarely have a competitive advantage through products or pricing. Our most effective tool is building relationships with our customers that make our business the place to go for solutions. Make sure your salespeople are armed with professional sales training, especially in what motivates those humans we call customers.
• Leadership: There will always be more hats to wear in your small business than heads to put them on.
To a much greater degree than in big business, employees of small businesses have to be able to perform tasks in a number of areas on any given day.
Obviously, performance requires technical skill, which training you no doubt provide. But how would you like to see the performance of your business take a quantum leap? You can do it if your people become leaders. Among other things, employee leaders take initiative, assume ownership of their assignments, and work as team members.
If you want employee leaders, you must do three things:
1) Hire people who are capable of being leaders. Everyone isn't. There are personality tests available that can help you find people who can become leaders.
2) Provide formal leadership training, which is often available through a local college or university, or the chamber of commerce.
3) Do your part by delegating the responsibility AND the authority. And when your people fail while making an honest effort to perform, don't ask them why they did it, but rather what did we learn?
• Organization: A small business cannot afford to be unorganized. Incrementally speaking, wasted motion and resources are no more expensive for a small business than a big one, but does put a small business in more jeopardy of failure. Some people tend to be organized on their own and some are not. Incredibly, the best performers are often found in the latter category, but their lack of organization can create organization problems for others.
What's the answer? First, look at your operational systems to see if they are creating disorganization. If so, change them. Then get training for those individuals who need it, which might well include the owner.
The next two areas can go a long way to solving organization deficiencies.
• Technology: For years, small business has been defined by number of employees. In the future, more emphasis will be placed on sales volume instead of staff. What has changed this definition? Technology.
Historically, when Henry Ford or Harriett the wholesaler wanted to grow their businesses, they hired more people. Today, if you want to grow your business, add technology first, then people.
But technology is an ineffective lever without properly trained technicians. Basic training in the technology your business uses will deliver increased production. But if you want to taste some of that performance gravy, maintain a continuous and advanced, technology training program.
• Teamwork: If you have one employee you have a team. Any questions?
Teamwork is not intuitive. Without a clear understanding of how individuals work within a team, and how teams work together to accomplish corporate goals, ego, competition, and other human characteristics can create damaging impediments to effective teamwork.
Back to my "too many hats, too few heads" analogy, small businesses cannot afford the inefficiency of poor teamwork. That's why teamwork cannot be left to chance. Even people who generally get along with others aren't always good at teamwork. Individuals need to be trained in how to work on a team, and teams need to be trained on how to work with other teams.
Find and deliver teamwork training to your organization. Effective teamwork in a small business creates more profits, more fun, and is a thing of beauty.
Resolution Two: I resolve to preempt any company who would hire one of my valuable employees away by making sure my company is a GREAT place to work.
Remember "too many hats, too few heads?" Small businesses MUST employ good people. And regardless of whether the unemployment rate is zero or 10%, good people are ALWAYS in demand.
Want to make sure you keep your good people? I'm going to make this one short and sweet: Do all of the things identified in this article and you will have good people standing in line at your door with resumes in hand. By the way, that same line blocks the door so that the good people you have won't leave.
Resolution Three: I resolve to praise more in public.
Praising a worthy employee is an excellent motivational practice. Praise in front of others makes it more valuable for the recipient, identifies your standard for praise, motivates others, and demonstrates your willingness to recognize performance excellence. Praise well-placed and well-done can help you keep an employee who is being courted by another company, even when more money is offered.
Resolution Four: I resolve to criticize more constructively in private.
Few things are more counterproductive than reprimanding an employee in front of others. Such behavior demotivates the recipient, makes others uncomfortable, and makes the manager look unprofessional and small.
Since EVERYONE is capable of falling short of expectations, redemption may be the most powerful concept in management. Constructive criticism, which presumes redemption, only works if it is given quietly, privately, and sincerely.
Resolution Five: I resolve to find a way for the people who work with me to have fun at work.
Life is short. If you can't find a way to have fun in your business, shut it down and go do something else.
Resolution Six: I resolve to assume the attitude that the fastest way for me and my company to be successful is if I focus more on helping my employees to be successful in each of their assignments.
The most successful managers in the 21st Century will be those who subordinate their ego and the need for immediate personal gratification to that of their people. Business ownership is a game where everyone wins when you come in second by making sure your employees find success first.
Write this on a rock... Thinking of yourself as the boss of those who work with you in your business is passé and unproductive. Instead, think of yourself as the steward of their success. If you make sure your behavior, the work environment, and assignments are conducive to your employees' success, ultimately you will be the big winner.
