May 3, 2011
By Wayne Mates
Two weeks ago I posted an article on how you might alienate employees. Today, I will mention a few ways you can keep your staff motivated and energized. A post on positive reinforcement parallels this article.
In running our businesses, it is important that our colleagues are motivated to do their best work every day and not just occasionally. Let’s face it, no one goes to work determined to do lousy work. Some may be dissatisfied or disgruntled. It is your job as a business owner to turn that around. So how can you do it? There are many ideas and theories, but here are a few of my favorites that work.
- Challenging Work – People generally like to have their skills tested and be stretched to achieve even more. You cannot assume that people are always happy doing the same thing every day. That gets to be pretty boring. You don’t want to do the same thing every day; you enjoy the challenges of the new. So do your colleagues. Your job is to figure out how to keep them challenged and fresh. Maybe it is mentoring new employees. Maybe, it is new projects. Maybe it is swapping jobs for a couple of weeks or shadowing another employee. You say you can’t afford to do that. I say you cannot afford not to do that. Get your staff out of their comfort zone. The more they learn and stretch the more valuable they become to your company.
- Listen – I mean really listen! Don’t pay lip service to others thoughts and ideas, really listen to them. When someone comes to you with a thought or idea, it’s
because they believe they may have a solution to an issue. It’s because they are closer to the work than you are. They may not understand the ramifications or the effect on other departments, but they are well worth listening to. Check and see if their thoughts are viable. Let them know their input is valuable and will be listened to. Get them involved in researching their ideas and the effect on the company. They will know they are being heard and listened to even if their ideas may not be implemented. - Stop Micromanaging – Unless someone is new to the company and/or being trained for a position, leave them alone to do the work. They don’t need you or anyone else looking over their shoulder watching every move. You hired them to work, now let them do it. Agree upon what the standards and metrics of a job are and then step aside. They can check with you if they are unsure of what needs to be done or exactly what you want accomplished but give them the freedom to get the work done.
- Praise and Recognition – Catch people doing great work and let them know they are doing great work. Recognize them in front of their peers. Send them a handwritten note for a job well done. Give them an extra day off for a great job well done. Find ways to let them know their work is appreciated. Even more importantly let them know they are appreciated.
And there you have it. 4 powerful ways to motivate staff. Find ways to implement these methods into your everyday habits. Your colleagues will be happier and more productive. You will have more time to create the vision and strategy for the company. Or, maybe that will give you more time to make critical sales calls without having to worry about your colleagues.
Happy Entrepreneuring!!
Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikelewis/
Filed under News by on May 3rd, 2011. Comment. 
May 16, 2011
By Wayne Mates
In an earlier post, I covered the 6 steps to starting a business. An alert reader pointed out that was all well and fine as long as you know what business you are starting. What if you have the urge to be an entrepreneur and don’t know what kind of business you want to start? How do you pick the business for you?
Having gone through this process a few times, I can give you some insight into how I went through it. I am sure there are other ways, but let me share one of the methods that works for me. This is the fun part because you get to research so many industries and possible opportunities. You learn what works and doesn’t work for others. And, in the process you learn a lot about yourself.
- Make a List – This is a skills list, pure and simple. Make two columns. On the left hand side list your excellent and good skills. This should include the areas where you are a subject matter expert. Then sort them so that the excellent skills are at the top. In the right hand column, list what you are so good at. Most likely you will want to focus on businesses where you can put your strengths to work.
- Make Another List – You are going to do the same as in step one… two columns. In the left hand column list the things you like to do or are passionate about. These do not need to be in any specific order. In the other column, list those things you hate to do… again not in any necessary order.
- Make Another List - Now that you know where your strengths and passions lie, make a list of the types of businesses that “appear” to be aligned with your strengths and passions. Even if you think they may be marginal, add those businesses. You will sort this out later.
- Research – This is much easier now with the internet. Research businesses on your list. What makes them successful? What does it take to start them up? Consider all resources. What is your potential return on investment? Do you have the resources to start up or where can you find them? After looking at this business will it provide a living for you? Can you see yourself operating this business for at least the next 5 years?
Using this method you will eliminate most of the business opportunities you research. Find one you think might work? Is there one you can visit and pick the brains of the owner(s) to see if it will work for you? Don’t jump yet. Go back to your lists and make sure this opportunity fits. Now, sit back and imagine yourself in this business. How will you make it successful? How will you differentiate yourself from others? Will the financials work for you?
Remember, there are very few unique businesses. Most successful businesses are built upon the ideas and failures of other businesses. The successful ones know how to make it work. Time to get to work!!
Happy Entrepreneuring!!
Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lowimagination/
Filed under News, Start Up by on May 16th, 2011. 1 Comment.
May 23, 2011
Guest post by Jim Radogna
Periodically, I publish guest posts. The ideas and concepts in guest posts are not necessarily condoned by this editor and are published to provide stimuli for conversation. ~WM
A recently filed lawsuit against an auto dealership accused a sales manager of sexual harassment and sexual battery against a salesperson. According to the complaint, the employee was harassed continuously over a ten day period and ultimately quit due to the alleged behavior. The complaint further stated that the dealership should have known what was going on and tried to correct it.
The dealership responded that the claims have no merit; that it has a zero-tolerance harassment policy; and that human resources was not contacted about the situation, as its employee handbook specifies.
I have no idea what the true merits of this particular case are, but it brings to mind what an uphill battle fighting these claims can be.
In some cases, employers may be considered to be “strictly liable” for sexual harassment, meaning that the employer is liable for harassment by an employee or other individual even if the employer did not know about the harassment or acted immediately to stop it. Fortunately, the Supreme Court has recognized a viable defense to this liability. If an employer can prove that it exercised reasonable care to prevent and promptly correct any sexually harassing behavior and the complaining employee unreasonably failed to take advantage of any preventative or corrective opportunities the employer provided or to otherwise avoid harm, the employer may avoid liability for unlawful harassment. Note however, where a supervisor’s harassment includes a tangible employment action (for example, firing the individual); this defense may not be used. An employer is always liable for harassment by a supervisor on a prohibited basis that culminates in a tangible employment action. The Supreme Court recognized that this result is appropriate because an employer acts through its supervisors, and a supervisor’s undertaking of a tangible employment action constitutes an act of the employer.
The result in the this case may well come down to whether or not the court believes that the employer exercised “reasonable care” and that the employee “unreasonably” failed to take advantage of opportunities that the employer provided.
Most dealerships have an anti-harassment policy in place that they have all of their employees sign. That’s a great first step, but the questions remain: Have the employees actually read the policy and do they really understand it? Are they really aware of the procedures set forth in the policy to protect them from harassment?
If employees are trained on exactly what to do in the case of harassment (like who to report it to, and so forth) and fail to do so, the dealer will likely be in a better position to defend itself against a claim. On the other hand, if victims of harassment are uncertain about whom to report the harassment to within the company or worse yet, their claims are not taken seriously; they may feel their only recourse is to contact an attorney. That’s when it gets ugly.
The following procedures can be helpful in demonstrating that an employer has taken reasonable care in preventing or mitigating harassment:
- Preparing and adopting an anti-harassment policy and communicating the anti-harassment policies to all employees.
- Clearly communicating that harassment will not be tolerated and clearly explaining prohibited conduct.
- Creating a sexual harassment complaint procedure and explaining the employee’s obligation to report any conduct that may be viewed as harassing.
- Providing every employee with a copy of the harassment policy and complaint procedure, and redistributing it periodically. The policy and complaint procedure should be written in a way that will be understood by all employees in the employer’s workforce.
- Providing sexual harassment training to all employees to ensure that they understand their rights and responsibilities.
- Taking prompt and appropriate action.
- Making the anti-harassment policy easily accessible via the company intranet, posters, employee handbooks and including it in the new-hire process.
- Taking any claim seriously and investigating it.
Unfortunately, being a traditionally male-dominated industry, harassment claims against auto dealerships are not an uncommon occurrence. Having a policy in place and hanging posters may not be enough to adequately protect yourself.
Jim Radogna is the President of Dealer Compliance Consultants, Inc., a San Diego, California training and consulting firm. He has more than 20 years of broad-based management, training and consulting experience in the automotive industry.
jim@dealercomplianceconsultants.com
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/jim-radogna/16/499/b14
Read more: http://www.articlesbase.com/ethics-articles/is-zero-tolerance-enough-4650498.html#ixzz1NDugbPIL
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution
(ArticlesBase SC #4650498)
Filed under Hiring and Managing People, News by on May 23rd, 2011. Comment.
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