Are you in the habit of getting an annual physical? Many of us do this as a preventative measure to stay healthy.
How about within your organization? Does your leadership team periodically assess the strength of your organization? This is a discipline that is often misunderstood or ignored.
You have a great business with a unique product, great market share and good cash flow. You have a clear vision for where you want to take your business. However, without the right people, in the right seats, that vision won’t be shared by your team, you will take longer to achieve it – and even risk it not happening.
One of my clients was chomping at the bit to document their core processes – especially their HR process. They were a family-owned business and their turnover was holding back their profitability. They believed a robust HR process would reduce turnover and help increase profits.
So I taught them the three-step EOS® method to document their process. They created a rock for it, and got to work. But there were problems.
I traveled to Peru one summer to help build a school. My job was to construct the baño (bathroom). The area didn’t have electricity so we did everything with hand tools. As I dove into the job, I realized that it would take us three to four times longer without electricity. It was frustrating for all of us. We knew what we needed to do but we didn’t have the right tools for the job. This same thing happens every day in business. People are given a task but don’t have the right tools to accomplish that task. One of the biggest resources or tools that your people need is your time and attention. Not to take on their issue as yours but to help them think it through their task at hand and build their confidence so they can tackle their job.
Great leaders do 5 things: 1) They give clear direction; 2) They provide the necessary tools. After creating clear openings, you need to give your direct reports the right tools and support they need to succeed. Not doing so is debilitating to your people.
