I introduced in my last
column several of the blockages businesses often confront in their pursuit of
excellence and success. I defined these blockages and elaborated on some
negative results these barriers bring to a company afflicted with them. In
case you missed it, the column appears on the Business Times website.
In this column, I’d like to continue where I left off, starting
with some key questions: Did you use these past two weeks to become more aware
of the blockages in your business? If so, what barriers to the smooth and
efficient flow of your business operations did you identify? Did you come to an
understanding of what blockages exist
in your business, where and why they exist, and how
much they are costing you in real terms? Are you now solidly focused on
eliminating blockages for good?
If all of this seems
daunting or overwhelming, or you don’t know where to begin or how to go about
addressing the barriers to the success of your business, you’re not alone. The reality, however, is that it’s not
difficult. The solutions are simple:
Communication:
A leading barrier to personal and professional
success is ineffective communication.
The
first step in overcoming the limitations inherent in poor communication is to
become an absolute listener. While most people believe they are excellent
listeners, it’s usually not the case. Training
your team to be effective listeners
will position them to realize, typically for the first time, just how much information they are actually missing.
When individuals listen
to reply rather than to understand, their own mental agenda
limits their ability to take in the body language, tone and words necessary for
communication success. As this blockage is overcome - with training and the
persistent effort - miscommunications begin to disappear. Professional
assessments provide vital information that, when applied correctly, position
team members to understand their differing communication styles like never
before. When this newfound understanding is combined with improved listening
skills, the gaps in communication are all but eliminated.
Talents & Skills: How do you really know if the person you are
hiring for a position truly has the talents and skills necessary to perform the
job? The truth is, most of the time you don’t. Using statistically accurate and
proven assessment tools allows you to know with certainty the talents and skills a person possesses before you hire
them. This saves a tremendous amount of time and other valuable resources.
In addition, professionally
administered assessments reveal where an individual has a weakness in their
skill set. Whether for a new hire, or with
a seasoned team member, engaging a qualified coach with proven assessment and
training skills can help these team members develop their skills to become productive and contributing members of a
successful organization.
Attitude:
Positive team member attitudes are invaluable to any business that wants to
achieve lasting success. Most business owners, however, hire for skill and fire for attitude. This discovery takes
time and, typically, corrective action is taken only after the damage from
extensive negativity has been done. By
implementing the priceless information contained within personal assessments, employers gain unbiased and accurate insights into current team member and new hire candidate attitudes
early, and act accordingly.
With the guidance of a
trained professional, business owners and managers then can make informed
decisions regarding the retention or dismissal of a team member who has a bad
attitude. Business owners and managers can also make solid decisions as to
whether or not a candidate should be hired in the first place. In addition, these
leaders can accurately gauge the potential return of investing in the development of these individuals, to
help them improve and become a loyal member of their team.
Desire: It is imperative that team
members want to be an active, skilled and positive part of the business for
which they work. When an individual’s motivation aligns with his or her
position and with the vision of the company, success becomes the norm rather than
the exception. Assessing a person’s motivations and utilizing this information
to place them in the appropriate seat on the bus positions both the team member
and the company for greater success.
When
these and other blockages are identified and then removed through professional
assessments, trainings and coaching, barriers to excellence and business
success are eliminated. Team moral and collaboration improves, customer services
rises to new levels, costly errors decline, customers feel genuinely
appreciated and cared for, and your business will forever stand out in their
minds.
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