The Order of Things

I have just finished reading Gordon Ramsay's second book 'Playing with Fire'. One theme that comes through his book and is key to his success, is his loyalty to his staff. He takes the time to select them based on his criteria, and when selected, he invests in them to make them high performers. Many of the chefs that work for him are Michelin Star chefs (the Olympic Gold Medal of Cooking).

I read Richard Branson's book 'Losing my Virginity' and one of the strong themes that came through his book was that he puts his staff first. If the staff are happy and well trained then the customer gets quality service and spends money - then the share holders are happy.

The Sirota Institute in the United States has surveyed over 3 million people over 30 years and found the following top three things staff want in a job.

1. Equity - a fair days pay and a say in their job and work environment.

2. Acknowledgment - staff want to be recognised for doing a good job and for the contribution they make towards success - this does not have to be money.

3. Camaraderie - the research showed that people will stay in a job if they like the people they work with and if the social aspect of the job is fun and encouraging.

Get these three things right and your business or team will thrive. The key to success is to look after your people, they make things happen. Invest in your team and they will invest heavily in your business. This does not mean baby sitting or giving them everything they want. It means treating them fairly, tapping into their knowledge, not micro managing, providing a great place to work and acknowledging the fact that success is a team effort and where possible acknowledging individual contributions to that success.

For many leaders the outcomes of profit and customer happiness are dominant, when in actual fact they are by products of staff development and quality customer service and products.

For a sporting twist (fancy me having a sporting twist to things) check out this weeks audioblog to see what I mean. It is titled 72000 minutes.

To be productive or not to be productive

Productivity Observations

Research findings came out last year in the media showing that New Zealanders work more hours than just about everyone in the OECD. Only Iceland works more than us (what else is there to do, it is so bloody cold you may as well be warm at work and save the electric bill). We are not however showing a corresponding level of productivity for those hours worked, in fact we are well down the list at number 14 if I remember correctly.

There are number of reasons for this but I have my own observations based on my coaching and consulting over the years. Here they are;

1. Poor quality of on the job training. A degree or certificate only gives you so much, nothing can beat high quality on the job training. With new staff, train their butts off, drill, drill drill - when they 'GET' your business then let them have the reigns to bring their personality and talent to the fore.

2. Being side tracked from core business activities. This is common amongst many of my executive clients. They are sidetracked into meetings and memos and emails and calls that have nothing to do with them. They are also doing to many $10/hr jobs instead of delegating them and concentrating on the $1000/hr jobs.

3. Resourcefulness vs Resources - a common complaint I hear is that there are not enough resources. In some cases this is true, but in many cases the resources are not being maximised. Firstly maximise resources and then decide exactly what other resources are needed before spending valuable time and money on getting them.

4. Not maximising people and skills - On different occasions I have seen the hiring scramble take place when what was really needed was maximising the staff and skills already on deck. This means evaluating work flow and understanding the strengths of the individuals who work for you. Do an audit on the strengths, qualities and skills of your work force and then evaluate whether you are maximising these.

5. Being impatient causes poor recruitment and bad decisions which ultimately lead to poor productivity. Slow down and be considered in your approach.

6. Poor self management means to many hours. Self/time management should be taught as a level three paper in Universities and Techs and should be compulsory in all secondary schools. It should also be compulsory for any new recruit who has not done a course before. A small investment for a productive return.

7. Finally perception - we have a perception that working long hours is good -WRONG- it means you don't have a life. Get the fishing rod out or the bike or photos of your kids so you remember their names when you meet them next and play a game with them. There is no doubt that at different times you have to work long hours but lets be serious it is not all the time.

I make a promise to many clients that I can find at least a 20% saving in time spent at work - to date I have yet to be proven wrong.

Are you working smarter and productively or are you working longer just hoping something will change