Grow your Employees, Grow your Company

Albert Einstein once said the definition of insanity is “doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results”.  Why can’t you grow your business?  Maybe it’s because you keep doing the same thing over and over expecting different results.  

Ok, so maybe you’re not doing exactly the same thing over and over, but you’re probably close.  For example, you need more revenue, so you bring on a salesperson to drive sales. Yet after 3 months, nothing has changed. As a result, you fire him and hire another person who tells you why the last hire failed and how he or she can make it work.  But alas, 3 months later you’re still in the same spot. What happened?

All you did was change the team member and not the process. Your hire wasn’t supported. After all, you are too busy, which is why you brought that person in. When nothing changes,  it’s time to look in the mirror because, as I like to say, “the horse stinks from the head”. 

Growing your company isn’t always about working harder. It’s more about utilizing the tools and talent around you. How, you might ask? The first thing you can do is achieve consensus - get your employees to buy-in and agree to a plan to grow the company and drive sales. Grow your employees if you want to grow your company.  I’m not just talking about sending them to school or training them.  I’m talking about involving them, getting their input, and giving them a culture in which they feel confident to speak up, give ideas, and provide feedback.  If you want them to feel appreciated, allow them to have a voice in the company. 

A recent article from theladders.com (September 14, 2019) stated that, among other reasons, 79% of people that leave their jobs do so because they feel unappreciated.   Remember, you can’t expand your business alone. You need help.  It’s time to change your thinking and the way you look at your business and manage/treat your employees.  Over the next few months, I will be writing a series of blogs about what I believe are the 7 principles that are critical for you, as a leader, to master.  They are the key to breathing new life into your business and your employees.

We will start by identifying your “Leadership and business culture”.  Here are some key questions to consider. What is your leadership style? Is it a dictatorship? A democracy? A combination of both? Then, how could you describe your work environment, company mission, values, ethics, expectations, and goals?

The next blog will be entitled  “It takes two, sometimes more...”.  Most successful businesses have a visionary and an integrator. If the visionary sets the big-picture goal for the company, the integrator harmonizes the different aspects of the business to make that goal a reality. Walt Disney had his brother Roy, Apple’s Steve Jobs had Steve Wozniak, Microsoft’s Bill Gates had Paul Allen and the list goes on.  Who is your integrator(s)?   

Then it will be time to “Pull the Chute”. Is your foot always on the gas pedal? Do you feel like you're always moving at 200 mph? Maybe it’s time to pause, assess, and re-focus.

After pulling the chute,  it could be time to “Adjust the course, incrementally”.  What’s the new plan? How do you want your team to move forward together on this new course?  Remember the definition of insanity and don’t get pulled back down the old rabbit hole again. 

If you decide to adjust the course, make sure you do it incrementally.  Small changes create less whiplash and less pushback from your employees.  Remember, you can’t do it alone, you need to bring them along and have them help if you want to a) implement your new plan, but more importantly, b) “Grow your Employees”.  Be the leader that gives your employees a healthy and rewarding work environment. As I stated earlier, 79% of employees leave jobs because they feel unappreciated.  It’s not always about the money.

As we begin to wrap things up, we will look at the concept of  “Getting More, while retaining your employees and clients”.  In spite of what society often tells us, life isn’t actually about getting more while another person gets less.  It is about how to communicate properly so both parties feel valued, appreciated, understood, and satisfied.  How do you keep your employees and clients happy? Spend time to understand the pictures in their heads. I promise this will allow you to build better relationships, retain your clients and employees while growing your sales.

Finally, you want every employee to say "It's my company too!"  You can’t be everywhere all the time.  By empowering your employees to believe in your vision, allowing them to have a voice, and showing them that they are appreciated, you are building a culture where they feel like it’s their company too. As a result, they will always be watching out for the company.

Stay on the lookout over the next couple of weeks for my blog series. It is my hope that this information will be helpful and provide you with a basic understanding of the principles that I believe will guide you to a more rewarding business.