Too often you hear business owners say ‘I can’t get good people’ or ‘why can’t I get my people to do as I tell them’. Well here are a few ideas that may make life a lot easier.
Consider for a moment, the business owner who has 10 people working in the business yet he, the owner, is doing all the work. What’s the point?
First, get back to basics. Most people in business will understand how important systems are. Systems are usually responsible for having a business that runs smoothly (and profitably). With systems and processes in place, it’s simply a matter of employing people to run those systems. Michael Gerber’s book, The E-Myth, really highlights how important systems are for businesses to be successful. A real life example of course is McDonalds. With a food product that at best could only be described as average, McDonald’s systems make it a highly successful entity.
The point is, get the systems built in your business. If you feel like you’re banging your head up against a brick wall, take a look at the systems in your business. Look at the most basic things from answering the phone all the way through to how you produce your product or service. If your systems aren’t clearly defined and easy to understand, how can anyone understand what you want? Preferably write them down and turn them into checklists. Systems and processes are the basic foundation of business — and are critical to getting your people to work as a team.
With the systems built and clearly defined, now it’s a matter of recruiting the right people to run those systems. The DISC working personality profile can help in selecting the right people for the job. With this knowledge and a formal recruiting process, you can then recruit the right people for the job. However, it’s not just a matter of having people who come in, follow the system and get the job done. What you are looking for now is SYNERGY!
Synergy comes from having people who are committed to a ‘common goal’. If people are involved in setting the ‘common goal’, they are generally more likely to commit. If you, as the business owner are dictating to your team ‘this is the goal’, don’t expect much commitment. If your team has ownership, they are much more likely to achieve. Ownership is also very useful when designing and building your systems, let alone setting goals. Keep asking the team this question…’I’m looking for [certain outcome], how do you think we should go about achieving that?’ The successful business owner has team members that say ‘I think we should do this’. An unsuccessful business owner has team members that say ‘I don’t know, you’re the boss’.
Finally, be aware of what you are teaching your team. For example, if a baby cries and its mother comes running — the baby eventually learns that if I cry, Mom comes running. So, if you’re saying to yourself ‘Nobody can do it like me’ and you jump in and do the work for the team… what lesson is your team learning?
Try building a team that works with you and the culture of the company. The more cohesive the employee relationship is the more you will get out of your team. Try these few things out and see what a difference it has on your business.
