Weekly Success Tip

You’ll recall last week’s Success Tip discussed the importance of your people to your business and I shared with you some of my experience as well as some critical research.

The research was from the largest study ever done, with some 80,000 managers being interviewed to determine, “How do the world’s leading managers find, focus and keep talented employees?” 

Essentially, the studies done by the Gallup Organisation showed that the key to building a strong team could be summarised in just 6 key questions which we'll continue with today. 

Before we reveal key question #2, I thought we’d start with some humorous office mathematics. 

I trust you see some humour in this and now let’s get to question #2. 

Q2: Do I have the materials and equipment I need to do my work right?

In my 11 years as a Fitness Club owner, we had the best fitness equipment you could get on the market. But when it came to what I viewed as ‘non core’ equipment, like lockers, counters, and desks, I have to admit I was a big tight ass! 

So much so that after 11 years we still had the original reception desk that had been left by a previous owner that had been lumped together over the years. It was of poor design, poor shape, poor height and needed constant patching up. 

Now one of my key staff members was a lady named June. June was without doubt, the single best employee I ever had. She had awesome credentials as she used to run a branch of the Westpac Bank down in Melbourne. I struck gold when we got June and she was running the total administration, sales and customer service for my Club. On top of that June never complained about anything, except that when doing a lot of data entry she found the computer was at the wrong height and the drawers were in the wrong place.

It was obvious the only real solution was to get a completely new, ergonomic designed reception counter but I was reluctant to outlay the cash. I had invested so much into the best fitness equipment that I almost came to resent investing any more into my business.

But I also knew that if June left the business, I would have just about lost my entire business... she was that important, and still, I was not prepared to invest the money to make her life better.

I can honestly say that with an attitude like that, I did not deserve an employee as great as June.

So I’m pleased to say that I sold the Club soon after. And partly based on my recommendation, the first thing the new owner did was get a completely new reception area, desk and computer terminals to give June and the other staff the right equipment they needed to avoid injury and enjoy doing the job. And I am pleased to say that June is still there today running his business!

So do your people have the materials and equipment they need to do the job right? And is it in well maintained order? 

Interestingly I saw several U.S. news stories last year when the Iraq war was into its 4^th year, that revealed that the American soldiers in Iraq were getting blown up and picked off one by one. They were losing their lives, mainly because they have been provided with sub standard body armour for combat. On several occasions Congress has refused to increase funding to better equip their soldiers and they won’t publish the defects and weaknesses of the armour in the media for fear that it will endanger them even more.

How would you feel, fighting a war for your country and being given cheap or inappropriate equipment for the job?

Whilst it may not be life threatening personally, it could be to your business.

I would recommend you and your staff rate themselves from 1 – poor to 5 - excellent on Q2: Do I have the materials and equipment I need to do my work right?

Next week we’ll examine question #3...