Business Opportunity - Leverage Your Employees!

As a business asset, they don't sit well on the P&L statement. They aren't valuable like a piece of machinery, or an office block. There is no assignment of currency with which you can measure them. But living and breathing within the walls of your premises are the biggest asset you could think of - your people.

Here's why...

Your people are:-

  • Your Face
    They are like a big advert on a bus or a hoarding. Whatever you want them to be - they are you, in whatever way they feel at the time. One slip and there goes a lifetimes worth of business (have you ever worked that out over 20 years - try it!)
  • Interactors
    They are one side of the two-sided interaction between your business and your customers, clients and suppliers and anyone else you can think of. This interaction is not just a choice, but a reflection of how your are within your business. So their 'interaction' is down to you and you alone.
  • Proactive
    Great at the day job, your people can give more. They can think ahead and develop a knack of being pro-active for you. Using them as one big team you suddenly have 10 pairs, a hundred pairs or even a thousand pairs of eyes and ears, noticing and responding to things, on your behalf.
  • Choosers
    They choose how to interact with your clients, customers and suppliers. And in that choice; in that very moment, they are able to make successful and long-term relationships - or not. They have the choice.
  • Synergistic
    They can contribute to you much more than the bare bones of their 'being there'. If you build the right relationship with your people they will spin and bounce ideas off you like no tomorrow. This is a very rich asset for you to utilise.
  • Weight Lifters
    They can take some of your burden away. If you treat them fairly, honestly and trust them, your people are able to take on new roles - and give you time and energy, which will leverage your skills in your business to there most effective.
  • Prospectors
    Great employees, onside with you, can be brilliant for developing new clients or customers. They will work on your behalf, if your behaviours encourage them to fight for you. Too often employees expend energy fighting against their organisation.
  • Sensors
    When in the flow, as your people will be when they work in the great culture you have in your business, they will 'smell out' business. They will create freqently returning customers and sell each one of them more. In that enabled relationship they are a money-making machine.
  • Recruiters
    They will wear your business or organisation on their sleeve - so if you need great employees to show up for you, working on your existing people is a first, vital step. They will recruit for you!
  • Your Life
    Great employees make a great team. A great team make you enjoy that 40% of your life you spend at work. If you treat them well (see below), you will reap rewards far beyond the financial value of what the cashflow is - or the profit outturn. You will lead a happy and fun life at work, full of laughter and joy - what more could you want? By the way - your business will do very well too!

    So what do you need to do. In my experience, not much. Do these things and you will have a brilliant teams about you.

    • Say 'Thank You' often

    • Be very clear in your expectations

    • Be interested in your people fully

    • Be honest and trustworthy

    • Deliver your promises (or don't make them)

    • Be consistent and very fair

    • Keep your people informed

    • Model the way you want your people to be

    • Be a part of the team - join in

    • Fight for their cause

    Working with people can be such fun and so rewarding. It ain't hard either - but you can do it if you focus, one changed behaviour at a time. Step by pleasurable step!

    Copyright 2005 Martin Haworth is a Business and Management Coach. He works worldwide, mainly by phone, with small business owners, managers and corporate leaders. He has hundreds of hints, tips and ideas at his website, http://www.coaching-businesses-to-success.com. (Note to editors. Feel free to use this article, wherever you think it might be of value - it would be good if you could include a live link)

    ...helping you, to help your people, to help your business grow...

    In The News:

    • pen paper and inkwell


    cat break through


    Creativity and Innovation Management ? Competition versus Collaboration

    There is much confusion as to whether competition or collaboration... Read More

    Selecting Top Talent: Improve Your Batting Average

    I recently gave a presentation to a group of business... Read More

    So, You Want to be in Management? Five Essential Factors that Will Determine Your Chances

    The following information is based upon over 500 interviews with... Read More

    Managing People - Why Is It So Difficult?

    Managing, supervising, being a team leader is the hardest job... Read More

    Transparency: A Key To Your Effectiveness

    Last month I talked about the Skilled Facilitator principle of... Read More

    Bye-Bye Boring Meetings! Make Yours Remarkable!

    It's the middle of the night. You've woken up with... Read More

    Can What Someone Does Off-hours Affect Your Business?

    Q: How much do I have to worry about what... Read More

    Innovation Management: Radical Innovation

    Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More

    Creativity and Innovation Management ? Personality Testing

    Whilst tests measuring the creative or innovative personality exist, there... Read More

    Tales from the Corporate Frontlines: A New Managers Tale

    This article relates to the Manager/Supervisor competency, commonly evaluated in... Read More

    Problems with Group Decision Making

    DECISION BY AUTHORITY RULE: Many groups start out with-or quickly... Read More

    Your Blueprint For Business Success

    Before you start your own business one of the first... Read More

    Is A Bad Attitude Permanent

    Today there is great weight put on a person's attitude.... Read More

    Spirits in the Corporate Boardroom.......Oh, sure......

    There is a growing movement in the spiritual... Read More

    11 Strategies on How to Work in An Open Plan Environment

    Many work environments now are open plan, with only a... Read More

    How To Own A Business... Instead Of A Job

    Every business is run by someone who took on a... Read More

    Sending Documents Through Email? Dont Get Burned by Metadata!

    During a recent seminar I gave located in the suburbs... Read More

    Four Steps to Better Performance Reviews

    Direct reports-people who need direction and leadership-rely on their leaders... Read More

    Better Management Performance - The Easy 3-Step Way

    Managers make three mistakes when they try to run businesses.... Read More

    Interviewing: How to Stay Out of legal Hot Water

    Some interviewers ask great questions; others ask dumb questions; and,... Read More

    Creativity and Innovation Management: Specialisation or Generalisation?

    Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More

    The Challenges of Human Resource Management

    IntroductionThe role of the Human Resource Manager is evolving with... Read More

    Lateral Thinking, Logical Thinking, Applied Creativity

    Certain processes enhance creative output and others enhance innovative output.... Read More

    Making Change Work

    Shaky FoundationsWhilst over 60% of businesses will be looking to... Read More

    How You Can Learn to be a Better Manager

    When you first take over a department, expectations are usually... Read More

    Increase In-House Nursing Homes Collections

    The following nursing home collections report outlines 11 guidelines you... Read More

    The Art of Motivation and Need Fulfillment

    Industrial/clinical psychology and applied psychiatry have made tremendous strides in... Read More

    The Seven Essentials of Business Communication

    There are seven essential elements to successful business communication:StructureClarityConsistencyMediumRelevancyPrimacy/RecencyPsychological Rule... Read More

    Re-Discovery Procedures for Building Effective Management Systems: Phase V

    Now we turn the corner to our final phase: Re-Discovery.Last... Read More

    Innovation Management: The Time Factor

    Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More

    Difficult Employees-Poor Performance - 10 Tips for Dealing with it in the Workplace

    I personally struggle with the term 'managing people' - because... Read More

    Executives and Emotional Self Awareness

    A major problem impairing an executive's performance is his Emotional... Read More

    CRM ...The Emperors New Clothes

    The story of the emperor's new clothes is a fairy... Read More