December 6, 2012 ISSN# 1545-2646
Are we really this out of touch?
Maybe it is me or maybe it is the phase the business world is passing through but I hear many business owners voicing concerns about employees that just dont get it. When I use the term get it Im referring to the who, what, when, where, why and how of running a business.
So I must first challenge the business owners are we that out of touch with our employees and are not providing the necessary development opportunities for them to understand the business we are in?
Do our employees know why the business exists and how they are a key part of delivering on the promise to the customer?
Can they connect the dots between their actions and customer satisfaction?
Is there correlation between the products and services provided by the business and the customer sales that take place?
Do employees make the tie between work hours and customer need?
As employers, are we taking for granted that they already have all of this knowledge and just dont know how to move it into action?
The more I explore the question the more questions appear. It is challenging as business leaders to hire a person and then have to not just train them on the specifics of your business and industry but also have to give them a basic understanding that the business is the source of them paying their bills and creating a sense of personal accountability and pride.
I will grant that the greatest number of these challenge points exist at entry level roles in most companies. It can also be witnessed at management and executive levels. When a person elects to tune out what is going on directly in front of them or right around them they begin to shut down their contribution to the success of the business.
Maybe this is partly do to business trying to compartmentalize job roles so small that the employees dont know how to spread their wings or look over the top of the cubical.
This week, take a step back and walk around to observe your organization at work. Do the employees work in a seamless system of motion and productive action or are they individual pods of transactions that need added expense and overhead to tie together?
Capture what you see and then build a strategy for 2013 to work on narrowing down the gaps between action and productive results.
Need a hand defining productive results and the gaps that exist in your organization? Give JKL Associates a call at (313) 527-7945 or send us an email to discuss.
Questions or comments – email us at partners@jklassociates.com or call our Office at (313) 527-7945
Copyright – JKL Associates 2012
Get this e-newsletter from a friend?
JKL Associates
18530 Mack Ave #242
Grosse Pointe Farms MI 48236
Main (313) 527-7945
Fax (313) 731-0626
Become a Fan on Facebook www.facebook.com/jklassociates
Link up on LinkedIn www.linkedIn.com/in/jklassociates
Follow us on Twitter www.twitter.com/@jklassociates