The right PEOPLE make a business Successful
Posted 23rd Jan 2016
Following on from last week, we are now discussing how the right people can make a business successful….
Gordon: Well Julia, you talked last week of the importance of people in an organisation – in particular their passion for their work and doing for the business what they are best at.
Julia: Yes, coupled with this is their acceptance of the company’s vision and mission.
Gordon: OK. Let’s have a look at people in successful companies. From experience, I would suggest that there are four major characteristics that these people have. They have:
- Empowerment
- A constant urge to learn
- Innovative skills
- Vision, as well as being enthusiastic and champions of change
Julia: Yes, but not all SMEs would be happy with empowering their people and it takes time to build those characteristics, don’t forget we are talking about SMEs and not large corporates who have the luxury of being able to afford the plodders.
Gordon: I think that you’ll be surprised. Visionary SME leaders are most happy to empower their people. With regard to the people, yes, there are the 9-5ers who simply need the money that work provides, but most people really want to contribute to the business and see it grow. After all, allowing them to contribute makes them feel wanted as well as ensuring that they have a future in a growing company.
Julia: Right. Assuming that all the people are good guys, how can companies be sure that the people are going to make a difference?
Gordon: First off, the business owner needs to share the company vision and mission and that all of the people buy-in to the two statements. Then, through proper training, companies can unlock the potential of its staff – empower them. The non 9-5ers will want to learn – not just to improve themselves and contribute more to company success but also to learn about their customers, their likes and dislikes. Nobody has a monopoly on new ideas so people should be encouraged to be creative and be able to exploit such new ideas. Finally, rather than fear change people should be encouraged to be visionary and enthusiastic champions of change. From a corporate perspective, Google are a great example of winning through their people. Laszlo Bock, Senior Vice President of Google’s People Operations, in a recent interview with Forbes Magazine said, “Google has been keeping the pipeline of innovation going by tapping its employees and letting ideas percolate up”. Their people can, and do, send emails to any of the company’s leaders.
Equally, Ken Lewis, a Director of Dutton Engineering(Woodside) Limited, is proud of the people who work for him. At a recent business seminar Lewis said, “I trust my people completely. If people are valued and trusted, if they are appreciated for what they do, they do their job better – and they have more fun doing it”.
Julia: Okay, I get the passion and encouraging people to do what they are best at, but how does this make the most profit for the business?
Gordon: I think we best discuss this next week, time for a cup of tea ….
