How many of your employees have personal problems affecting their concentration and performance?

While most companies have some form of HR department or employee policies, many are focused on preventing claims rather than developing employees. Staff training is imperative to prevent abusive or illicit behavior; one need only turn on the news to see the damage done when this is not a priority. As important as this “preventative maintenance” is, however – we feel there is another important aspect that goes completely unaddressed. Personal development of staff members is an ongoing process of education and coaching. Providing employee guidance on education, finance, and health goes a long way towards ensuring a productive environment.

How much concentration is lost in a workday when an employee has gotten him/herself in a financial bind that could have been easily prevented?

What is the cost of an employee who deals with your customers but has never had training in conflict resolution?

How many hours of productivity have been lost due to sick days, to say nothing of the reduced pace of an employee who is always tired?

These are important issues, and while they must be addressed delicately, they cannot be ignored if you want to grow your people along with your company. We are seeing an increasing number of new employees entering our client’s companies with no education on making a budget, controlling expenses, and avoiding debt. Many are in dire need of a mentor yet have no one to ask for help – HR departments in most companies are woefully inadequate to handle this.

It is quite simple to arrange for this training from outside sources; you do not have to become an expert on these issues. Some topics we have found useful:

• Financial Fundamentals – Managing Your Money
• Management Theory – Are You A Leader or An Analyst?
• Health, Energy, and Performance – How Your Health Determines Your Income

These are some of the topics that we and our partners provide – they are by no means an exhaustive list. You can schedule a free consultation with us here to go over details and assess your company’s needs.

If the balance of power was completely upended, and bosses could be fired by their employees – how many would have their jobs tomorrow?

Not many, in our estimation.

Leadership figures that bring value to their employees would be the only ones that survive. A philosophical exercise, to be sure, but one we think deserves some analysis when you endeavor to create a company culture and recruit talented, driven individuals. Task driven, top-down management styles may be great for running an assembly line, but fail miserably when applied to multiple site location management where trust is required; you simply cannot be in two places at once.

Position Power is easy to understand. Employees view the term with reference to a controlling manager; hence the negative connotation that comes from experiencing managers using it. When your staff does things because of what you will inflict upon them for non-compliance, you poison the work environment and must constantly supervise them. This makes it impossible to manage multiple locations; they simply do not care about your goals and have no trust in your leadership.

Personal Power takes much longer to develop, which is why only managers with the proper level of personal and social skills can employ it effectively. Employees will quickly see your actions, determine your intentions, and judge your integrity. You must bring value to their employment in excess of a paycheck. Continuing education, training, and rolling up your sleeves and helping them succeed are great ways to earn the trust necessary to groom and retain the personnel necessary to grow your business. All of this takes time and effort; you cannot fake your way through this, but the results are well worth the investment.

We suggest taking a look at the current level of education, training, and interest you are providing directly from your office, not just the HR department. If you would like to discuss how best to implement this, please contact us for a free consultation. Your employees may not have the power to fire you, but they are certainly in charge of your success.