Tweet

Who comes first in your business?

Guest post by: Kool Results

Article Overview: It’s important to provide feed back to your staff, and not just in formal appraisals. Remember that the appraisal system should never be used as a disciplinary process, but more as a way to develop the individual and to provide some coaching

Who comes first in your business?

“Our people are our biggest asset. Our people come first. We value our people.”

How many times have you read this, or heard this? How true is it in your organisation? One of the most extreme cases I have heard where this clearly is not true, is an employee I counselled who had never had a conversation with her manager. She’d been at the company for over two years.

Ask yourself when you had an in-depth exchange with your staff member. It may have been in the last month, but was it a conversation of quality? Did you say ‘thank you’ for a job well done? Did you convey to your employee a sense of how valuable she is to the success of the business?

It’s important to provide feed back to your staff, and not just in formal appraisals. Remember that the appraisal system should never be used as a disciplinary process, but more as a way to develop the individual and to provide some coaching.

If individuals feel valued they will reciprocate with real commitment to the business. They are less likely to opt for a ‘sickie’ if they feel that the organisation will really suffer without them there. They will be motivated to get out of bed on those cold, wet mornings.

Business owners are waking up to the connection between employee commitment and the bottom line. They recognise that their people should be nurtured. Jeffrey Pfeffer, writing in the Journal of Economic Perspectives, argues that “A truly enormous body of research from a number of countries shows that how people are managed affects quality, profitability, productivity and total return to shareholders.”

At Kool Results we have developed tools and strategies to help you connect with your staff, to develop them and to get the best out of them. It could be you are a victim of your own success. You may have been promoted rapidly because you are such a whizz at sales and marketing, but, if you are in charge of staff, has anyone shown you how to manage them?

In larger companies, the HR department will take care of the recruitment or selection process. They will manage the induction and development of an employee. In companies without this HR element, or where HR has stagnated, Kool Results can help. A large part of what HR focuses on today is taken up with legal requirements and industrial relations. But you should never lose sight of the fact that coaching and developing the individual is what makes HR tick, and can produce real results for your organisation.

If you remember that it’s important managers are managed to manage well then you’ll strike gold every time!

Related Articles

Article Tags: appraisal, coaching



Related Forum Posts
Re: Is A Business Plan A Waste Of Time? - I don't see a business plan a waste of time. Actually it's a great goal-setting tool for a business and it also helps evaluate a business' performance which allows the business owner to see where the business is going. Others say that it is only important when seeking funding from lenders or banks, but I believe it is more than that, that's why I have mine written and it's a work in progress since I first started in business.
Is A Business Plan A Waste Of Time? - According to various government statistics, up to 80% of businesses will fail within their first five years of operation. That number is staggering to me. At the same time, when I look at most business owners, most of them do not have a business plan for where they want to go. When you ask entrepreneurs why they don’t have a business plan, most of them will say something like: “it’s too much work”, “I’m not trying to raise money”, “it’s all in my head already”, or “my business changes too often for a business plan to be worthwhile.” Sound familiar? Did you write a business plan for your company when you first started? Are you planning on doing it for your new business idea?
Is "Good" - Good Enough - I was just reading the thread about whether people need a business plan and this idea hit me. Someone commented that if you don't have a business plan and you're doing all right - then why spend the time or money. But, is doing good or doing all right - good enough? Maybe you're a business that is getting by and making the bills. What if, taking the time to really evaluate your business with a detailed business plan could help you see places to make some changes which could take your business to the next level? Would it be worth your time? I think it would definitely be worth the time. That could be because I've worked with a number of business owners who were "getting by", but once they committed to having someone evaluate the business - they saw a drastic increase in their revenue. So, why couldn't or wouldn't an entrepreneur do an evaluation to determine where the business is, where it isn't working and where it should be going? This could be done in a business plan format. Just some random thoughts. Shri
answer this question - I dont know if this is posted in the right area, or if its been asked heaps of times already. Tell us something BAD you have done in your business that could have potentially(or has) destroyed/ended your business, or that has effected your business in a BIG way. OR, is there something GOOD you have done in your business that has really benefited you in a BIG way.
Re: Unsecured Lines of Credit - Hello, creditguru: Thanks for the recommendation. Here are two questions for you that will further help our forum members to make use of your suggestion: 1. How [u:p6n6npsx]does[/u:p6n6npsx] a business establish a strong business credit profile? (Especially small business and home business.) Please provide some tips or guidelines on how to do this effectively. 2. Commercial credit lines can be helpful to a business, but they do require responsible management on the part of the business owner. What tips, recommendations or cautions can you offer to business owners who are considering commercial lines of credit? Thanks. GT :-]


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

How do I finance a franchise?

Join Conversations Politely, Part 1

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.