Knowing these 3 tips to Increasing Productivity, Employee Morale, and Net Profits without spending a lot of money on consultants and not the getting the results you really want will give you a way to make running your business so much easier.
If that sounds like you, then read on and well get you started…
Advanced Tip #1: Spiritual values embedded within your company’s culture creates higher profits
Many business owners that I know are really good people, with strong Christian values. But it never occurred to them that those same values actually have a place in their business helping them make money.
Maybe your one of those people?
Specifically, I am talking about good Christian values like integrity, honesty and straight talk, being kind, and service to others just to name a few.
Maybe your someone who isn’t quite sure what that would look like…
Here is one way. Practice Integrity. Impeccable Integrity. Don’t be common, don’t be ordinary. Your customers are so used to that, they might even expect that. Be extraordinary in your integrity. Be impeccable.
Have people do what they say they will do. They commit, and then they follow through. If the meeting with a customer starts at 9 am, be ready to meet at 9 am exactly.
Why is this important, it important because of two major reasons.
Here’s the first one…. Even though your customers don’t tell you how they feel every time someone is late for a call, or late for an appointment, or when one or two things that they needed got over looked in the construction process. They do feel it. It does go on record in the back of their mind. And even though they don’t say anything, the result is at first slight confusion, then annoyance, frustration, and eventually they just flat out don’t trust you.
I’m sure you can relate that, haven’t there been times when you felt exactly that way with someone you had to work with?
The second reason is, when your employees keep their word, when they do what they said they will do, they feel better about themselves. It impacts their self esteem, their self worth, their minds are a little clearer, they stand taller. 80% of communication is non-verbal…and your customers read that like a book. In addition, employees who have the emotional intelligence, self esteem, and self worth to practice impeccable integrity, will be 2 to 3 times more productive, and that kind of productivity translates into a profitable business.
Maybe you’re a business owner who has a few employees, or a few teams of employees and you’re not quite sure what this would look like, or how to get started.
The thing is…your good employees like being accountable, they experience it as support and empowerment. They love to think for themselves because they thrive on having their own autonomy, face down a challenge, solve big problems, and experience the satisfaction of accomplishment and a job well done. They need that.
Why is this so true? Because being successful in business, managing employees successfully, and empowering employees to their highest levels of productivity are all consistent with the tremendous drive of every person to experience their own freedom to be very alive.
This tip is priceless because it’s the most efficient, cost effective, and practical method for achieving success there is, because it teaches you how to manage your employees in a way where everyone wins.
Here’s 3 things to help you have this tip to work for you..
Think of each employee as your partner in success, because the way you think of them does have an impact. And as the saying goes…as you lead, so they follow.
Some business owners struggle with how to manage their employees. They are extremely challenged with how to keep them motivated and productive. You didn’t go to management school, you got really good at your trade, and went into business for yourself.
Does that sound familiar?
And… so many of those business owners are parents.
Are you a parent?
So being a parent and having employees starts feeling very all too similar. And in ways that you don’t mean to, you transpose behaviors that worked with your children onto your employees.
Now what you have is a management style of embracing, embellishing, practicing, parent child behaviors in your business. And what you want is and adult to adult style.
What does that look like?
Not answering every question for them when they come to you for decisions.
Not micro managing everything they do
Not handling their problems so they don’t get the impact of their own actions
99% of the time, the biggest breakdown I see business owners having, isn’t from asking too much of their employees, its asking too little.
I had a meeting with a restoration business owner a few years ago, and when I showed up he was so sick he could not talk. So as I was sitting in his office, he was writing me notes. I asked him what happened. He wrote me a note that said he was working 100 hours a week. I asked why. He wrote that he had to make a to do list for each employee every day. He had 35 employees…….wow, need I say more here? When I went to work for his company, his employees were so happy to see me. The truth was he had really good employees who really wanted a great deal more autonomy. When given the opportunity to have it, they were so happy to have the ability to think for themselves, their productivity went up dramatically.
Also… Be Kind.
Sometimes the stress of being in business for yourself can get to you.
Maybe your having a bad day, or a bad week?
And although you don’t mean to, you pass that stress off onto those around you.
I was at a conference years ago speaking with an owner and he was sharing how things were going really well for him. So I asked him what the source of that was, and he said they adopted a policy company -wide of being kind. I was extremely curious so I asked him what he meant by that…and he said, whenever anyone spoke, or interacted in any way with another, they practiced being kind. And if anyone interacted in any way that wasn’t kind, they were stopped. It just wasn’t allowed anywhere in the business. And he was serious about that.
Lastly, Use Straight Talk…honesty is the best policy. Some business owners feel uncomfortable saying what they really feel or think to employees.
Their afraid of how they might react to “bad news”
Does that sound like you? The truth is, your being non confrontational doesn’t serve anyone
Tell people the truth. They deserve to know, and not only can they handle it, they need it to be successful.
Functional businesses leaders find ways to not only acknowledge what works, but to also coach people as needed.
In fact, you want straight talk and coaching embedded into your culture so well your employees expect it from you
Advanced Tip #2: Don’t be Owner-centric, be Employee-centric
Most business owners make the day to day business operations all about themselves.
Maybe you can relate to this? Maybe you have you have reports that are for your eyes only.
What happens here is then you see all the problems, which leaves you feeling like only you must solve them.
So you come up with the solutions.
Then you probably wonder why you are working so hard. Why you are working so many hours, why it seems like you have to do everything yourself or why if feels like you are the only one who cares about your business.
Sound familiar?
Here’s why this is important.
Your business is running the way you have designed it to run. If you want a different result, then you need a different design.
Maybe you’re the kind of owner who is concerned about asking too much ?
If you are tired of your business feeling like you are the only one who cares, then you must start making it all about your employees.
The crazy thing is this is the complete opposite of what most business owners do.
It runs counterintuitive to what every contracting owner thinks their employees really want.
The one thing that you as an owner have an abundance of (problems) now becomes the very thing that trains them to think like an owner.
The truth is your employees love a challenge. They thrive in an environment that offers them a lot of responsibility and opportunity.
Your employees become deeply satisfied when they are given the opportunity to feel like they got a lot of work done that day.
They want to feel like what they are doing is making a difference in the world
So, how you can implement this in your business?
Start by having a weekly meeting that is designed to deliver transparency. So that they get the impact of problems, challenges and mistakes, as well as their own accomplishments. This way, all of your employees who attend the meeting can see what’s important, what issues are at hand and what they can do to solve them as a team.
This gives them the feeling of being part of something bigger and knowing that what they do makes a difference.
These types of weekly meetings will help you attract and keep better employees.
Advanced Tip #3: Use challenging metrics to reinforce their buy in and drive team performance.
If you’re like many business owners, your very concerned about setting the right goals for your employees, and for the company.
The problem is when they are your goals you don’t get the buy in you really need and want.
Sound familiar?
What is the tip? This is where the rubber meets the road. This is what makes the difference between business as usual and a breakthrough performance business culture. The right metrics focus the individuals and teams on breakthrough performance outcomes, rather than the actions in the process preceding important results. People are focused on important outcomes, and left with the freedom to figure out the best way to get their job done to achieve those outcomes.
Why is it important? No one likes being micro managed. No one likes being told how to do their job.
This tip is priceless because.. It is one of the critical steps to unleashing each person greatest hidden potential.
Here’s how to put this tip to work for you…) Give key employees the opportunity to set up their own performance metrics. Give them everything they need in terms of financial data, past and recently used metrics if any, Year to Date data, Month to date data, and annual comparisons as well. Give them the opportunity to have the time to work on these as a team, and they will surprise you. Don’t rush this process. Let them think it through, and they will come up with metrics that will surprise you.
Now that you’ve got the advanced tips for executive coaching success down, I’d like to invite you to get even MORE advanced help by scheduling a time to talk with me.
If you’re a Contractor who wants your Business to run itself so you can do more of what you love and increase your net profits at the same time then we need to talk.
I can help you increase your company’s productivity, in a way that allows your employees to become the driving force of the business and increase to your net profits significantly.
Send me an email to greg@gregoryneilassociate.com. I have a proven track recording of helping contractors grow their net revenue, year after year.
Your Next Steps
My mission is to demonstrate that a business embracing practices of kindness, respect and empowerment will be very, very successful and profitable.
Ready for a new level of success in your business?
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Explore how you can achieve a new level of success in your company, schedule time with me today: https://calendly.com/greg-479/free-30-min-discovery
