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No one person has the correct algorithm for running a successful and profitable company. Environmental factors, internal factors and resources all play their role in the drama that is running a business. A lot of successful companies however, seem to have found the correct recipe in terms of what works best for them and within their market. They understand their competition, and they understand their people. It is about understanding exactly what it is that your business stands for. What is your purpose?
Our job is to help you find ways to better your business processes. Cue keywords here: effectiveness and efficiency. These words set my heart a flutter. Don’t they yours? Well, they should. These two things at the heart and soul of any business process. They make up the foundation of your business operations.
Here are 4 things you ought to stop doing if you’re hoping to remain both effective and efficient within your business.
1. Stop discouraging time off
When employees wish to take a holiday, or even just want to take a few days to themselves – don’t take this as a slight against the business or against you. Employees need to feel comfortable in approaching you about matters such as this, or, cue the beginnings of festering resentment. By establishing a lenient and fair policy regarding time off, employees will feel much happier in approaching this topic and the likelihood of them abusing this will be relatively non-existent, and it shows them that you are invested in their emotional wellbeing.
They should never be made to feel guilty for the workload having to be shifted around, or if you’re too short staffed to grant them leave. If you’re rostering correctly and have an adequate pool of staff – the task of leave management is in fact one of the least onerous of them all.
2. Stop micromanaging your employees
Micromanaging your employees simply implies you have no trust in them, and have very little faith in their abilities. Overshadowing their every move doesn’t give them room to grow as an employee and in their job role. Not only does this increase the likelihood of mistakes having you watch their every move, but it lessens the possibility of them ever having the chance to set up to bigger responsibilities.
By stepping back and allowing them to do their jobs without you interfering enables them to find their way and establish exactly what it is they can bring to this role, and where they want to be within the business going forward. No one likes a business owner or manager that becomes too hands on and has to have a finger in every pie, ever second of the day. Sit back and trust the people you hired to do the job. Chances are they’ll grow and learn much quicker, and subsequently end up asking for more responsibility later on.
3. Don’t mistake confidence for competence
Ensure that you have trained your staff adequately. When potential employees are going through the interview process, although they may display a high level of competence in life and the industry you’re in – appearances can be deceiving. Many can bluff their way through this. Whether or not you believe they have the experience and qualities necessary for the job, every venue and establishment is different. If you didn’t have a point of difference well then you wouldn’t be that good would you? You’d just be the exact same as your competition. I don’t know about you but, boring! Every staff member needs to be trained the way that is individual to your venue.
As a business owner you would have established what is is you wish to be your point of difference in comparison to your competition. In today’s age, it’s the actual set employees that make up a tremendous amount of the difference from one venue to another. Front line staff members are the ones that deal directly with the customers during each transaction. Therefore they must be equipped with the knowledge, the resources and the skills if they are to fulfil their roles to the highest of standards, and to the performance levels that you require.
4. Don’t always focus on the future and new ideas
It’s important to always keep your mind on the big picture, where you’re going, how you’re going to get there, and so on and so forth. However, if you solely focus only on these ideas, you’re not actually taking into account the systems and processes that may or may not be working that are getting you to that finish point. A business is made up of different processes. It takes discipline, planning and attention to detail. Some processes work, and others don’t. It’s the monitoring and changing of these processes along the way that allows you to keep pace with changes in the market, fluctuations in your environment and changes in competition.
By consistently monitoring and adapting your business processes, you’re giving yourself the best possible opportunity to reach that future goal quicker. You can imagine that with incorrect, incohesive and undisciplined processes – the chances of you reaching that end goal are bound to look slim, dull and unattainable. Systems and processes are the beating heart of your business. Without them, you’d sink.
Being the owner of a business isn’t meant to be easy. But there are things that can be done to make the journey a little easier and more enjoyable. Hey, who in their right mind doesn’t enjoy a good profit from time to time? It’s all about making decisions and creating actions that support the businesses operational processes.