Have You Shifted Gears?

Has your company shifted gears, to take advantage of these 4 developments in the economy?

• GDP growth 4.1% in June
• Unemployment 3.9%
• American workers received largest pay raise in 10 years
• Corporate taxes driving profits

Simply put, if your company is not seeing gross revenue and profit growth of 8-10%, you need to speak with us. There are either structural problems with your organization preventing you from taking part in this economic boom, or you have people unable or unwilling to ramp up their performance.

During times of economic hardship, many employees slide comfortably into a mode where they coast along, secure in the fact that no one seems to be doing any better than they are. These are precisely the people you need to retrain, re-motivate, or replace today. Many have found comfort in mediocre performance and are loathe to gear up and run fast again; they will curtail your revenue while poisoning your new personnel.

If your staff is ready to go and free from the malaise described above, but you are still not performing better than last year – see us about structure. Many companies make the necessary changes to save on costs (usually payroll) during the down times, only to be caught unprepared for the influx of capital and opportunity in a booming economy. Processes and staffing changes that made sense a few years ago could well be hampering your progress now – don’t let any more time elapse without talking to someone who can analyze your company and point out opportunities.

We offer a 1-hour free consultation that can help you determine where you stand, but whether you speak to us or someone else – look at your company critically and determine if you’re keeping up with your competitors and taking full advantage of the current economic trends. Remember – inflation is coming, as sure as night follows day. How are you going to afford higher costs when your income has remained flat?

Sticking your head in the sand only ensures you will be eaten without warning.

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.