Download - Seven ways to get more out of your people
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Can’t find the people you need to grow your business? !
Seven suggestions you can start implementing today.
Ask yourself this: !Does everyone in your business contribute all they can? !Do they actively want it to win? !Are they getting everything they need - and want - out of working for you? !Is there an engaged buzz about the place?
If the answer is no, it’s time to change. !If you don’t, you won’t grow… !…and anyone new will just go native and join the Bored Army, thinking nothing will change.
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So here’s how to start changing…
1. Inform, educate, explain !People need to know they make a difference - that they’re building a cathedral, not just cutting stone. So explain to each one of them how important their job is - and they are. !We’ve seen instant effects from this: !• Productivity up • Better motivation • Even improved equipment reliability !As one person put it: “Now I know what difference I make!”
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2. Help people grow !Give people opportunities to grow. Bend the rules if you need to. !One company hired a security guard to be a forklift truck driver, then promoted him to management accountant within two years. !The benefits? !• A vacancy filled quickly • An extremely motivated new management
accountant
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3. Involve people !!If you’ve got something to do which needs more than your own brainpower, ask people so they own a piece of the change. !In one company we know, shop floor workers, encouraged by the MD, got together and found and fixed a quality problem which was generating warranty claims all over the world.
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4. What drives your people? !Find out what motivates them, then create the conditions to let them thrive. !One factory manager learned that one employee got a real buzz from improving things, so set him a series of increasingly tough challenges. !Result? • Money saved • Production increased • A very motivated employee
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5. Better meetings !Meetings at all levels should have the right: !• Agenda • Preparation • Frequency • Participants • Outputs • Duration !Want proof? Just ask people how much they like being in meetings they attend or missing ones they’re not invited to. The answers are usually very revealing…
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6. Variety !Give people variety: !• Give them projects, individually or in teams !
• Cross train and move them around to experience different types of work !
• Let them take the lead in customer or VIP visits
!An NHS Community Services provider did this and found that patient satisfaction soared, and staff were more engaged and really appreciated the investment made in them.
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7. Personalise !Flex your style, and get your managers to flex theirs. !As Kenneth Blanchard, author of “One Minute Manager”, said: !
“Different strokes for different folks, and different strokes for the same folks under
different circumstances.” !One manager did this and instantly improved her relationship with some of her team, learning that the way she’d managed was right for some, but not others.
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We’ve barely touched on this huge subject - there’s so much more to it. !These are just a few of the things we have seen produce great results. !What’s worked well for you? Tell us: [email protected]
