Industrial Process

Archive for January, 2010

How To Help Your Company Become A World Class Company

Most people think real change in an organization occurs as a result of toplevel leadership. This isn’t always the case.

Oftentimes it’s someone within the rank and file who stands up and challenges the status quo. Remember the old adage “If the people will lead the leaders will follow.”

Years ago I was the sles manager for company with about 30 employees. The business was struggling and a management consultant had been called in to try and get things back on track.

In one of my meetings with the consultant I told him about some of the things that were going on that I didn’t agree with. I explained that even though we were all encouraged to be open and honest I feared that what I had to say might cost me my job.

His response was something I won’t forget. He asked me if I really wanted to work for a company that said one thing and did another. He showed me that I really didn’t have anything to lse.

It was time to walk my talk. I could no longer hide behind the fear of losing my job. I had to speak my truth. I did and I didn’t get fired. And even if I had been it would have been worth it.

Anyone can be the catalyst for change. Sometimes all it takes is a question. Sometimes it requires a brave person pointing to the dusty mission statement hanging on the wall and saying “Does this reflect our purpose?” or “Is this consistent with our core values?”

Those responsible for the Enron and WorldCom scandals did not do their greedy deeds in a vacuum. Others knew something wasn’t right and yet they remained silent. At the very least we all have a responsibility to report illegal activity. We also should work toward making our company a world class company.

Yes it’s true that it’s risky. It does take courage. But like that consultant said to me what do you really have to lse? Better to shake things up a bit than remain silent. It’s easier to find another job with a company more in tune with your values than to treat an ulcer or high blood pressure. Besides it’s the right thing to do.

You can challenge with respect. You can question without being insubordinate. In so many instances I’ve found that when just one person stands up for what’s right others step forward as well. A leader doesn’t have to be elected or appointed. A leader is often just someone who cares enough to speak what’s in the hearts and minds of others.

Sometimes leadership becomes enlightened by blinding flashes of the obvious illuminated by those in the trenches. And if management can’t handle the truth it’s time to seek out new management.

My personal belief is whether you work foror own a companyyou want it to be something you’re proud of. You want the time and energy you invest in your career to be worthy of the best that’s within you. You want it to make a difference.

Average isn’t good enough. You want to look back on your contribution with pride. Just putting in your time and collecting a paycheck may work for some people but it shouldn’t be sufficient for you. Stand up for excellence. Help your company become a world class company.

To get our fr report ‘The Ten Pillars of a World Class Business’ send an email to wcbsuccessnet.org For full details on the next World Class Business Conference go to http://WorldClassBusiness.com

Copyright Michael Angier. SuccessNet.org and http://WorldClassBusiness.com help you and your business grow. Get their fr report 10 Pillars of a World Class Business by sending an email to wcbSuccessNet.org Nocost subscriptions memberships eCourses eBooks and more are available at http://SuccessNet.org and InfoPleaseSuccessNet.org

About the writer:

Michael Angier is the founder and president of SuccessNet an organization designed to help you live and work more effectively. 80000 people can’t be wrong. http://SuccessNet.org
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Everybody Sells What I Sell? Or Do They?

Years ago I took over as a manager of a restaurant in a major city. As expected we had a good sized lunch rush every day but the place never seemed to be filled.

The previous manager although wellintentioned had been gruff with customers and staff alike. Most of the staff were teenagers and sometimes I didn’t blame him. Look I was a teenager myself and can remember not always being the best employee. Not because I was bad but just because I was a teenager. You remember? Right?

Anyway I worked with the departing manager fo about a month and then I was in charge.

One of the first things I did even before the old manager left was to make sure I called everyone including my 16yearold employees “sir” and “ma’am. I also made certain they got plenty of praise for a job well done and gentle but firm guidance (always in private) when they erred.

It wasn’t long before “YO! Dude! Bring me some ketchup!” was replaced by “Excuse me sir (or ma’am)! Could you please bring me some ketchup?”

Over the next few weeks the lunch crowd slowly began to grow as did the dinner crowd and I wasn’t absolutely certain why. I DID know that my young ladies and gentlemen were making the customers feel more comfortable in our establishment and the employees themselves were taking on more responsibility for taking care of the customers and getting the job done and seemed to be enjoying themselves in the process.

Of course we had our regulars and one day I noticed a pair of gentlemen I had never seen before. What struck me was that they were watching the employees and myself with eagle eyes. As I moved around the room chatting briefly with diners and making sure they were taken care of one of the men called me to his table.

This is what he told me…

He and his friend worked in a nearby office building and had once been regular lunch customers but had quit coming in several months before I came to work there. The reason they had stopped dining at our establishment was simply that they did not like the way the previous manager had treated the employees and they had also felt the trickledown affect in the negative way the employees interacted with customers and other employees.

Recently people in their building had begun talking about how pleasant it had become to eat in our restaurant since the “new manager” had taken over. They had decided to check it out for themselves. Even though they enjoyed the food and the restaurant was nearby they had been choosing to go elsewhere because of their discomfort in the previous atmosphere. They told me that they were extremely pleased with their experience and really liked the way I treated the employees and the employees treated each other and the customers. They definitely would be returning regularly.

THE MENU AND FOOD PREPARATION HAD NOT CHANGED.

THE FACILITIES WERE THE SAME.

THE EMPLOYEES WERE THE SAME.

BUT…

THE ATTITUDE AND ATMOSPHERE HAD CHANGED.

With the right attitude and with lots of respect for peers and customers alike your business can grow even if you sell the same product or service as thousands of other internet or brickandmortar businesses.

So! Why not sell service? There’s sometimes quite a lack of competition there.

Postscript: Between the time I drafted this article and typed it up I received an email from a webmaster who complained that while I had a nice website it was just like several others he had seen and he doubted I would have any success with it.

Oh well he’s welcome to his opinion I suppose. I just didn’t have the heart to tell him that last month I deposited over 10000.00 in commissions from a website that everybody else was using.

Copyright 2005 Donovan Baldwin

About the writer:

Donovan Baldwin

The author is retired from the Army after 21 years of service has worked as an accountant optical lab manager restaurant manager and instructor. He has been a Mensa member for several years and has written and published poetry essays and articles for the last 40 years. An active internet marketer since 2000 he now makes his living online. Visit his blog at http://donovanbaldwin.blogspot.com/

Managing With Vision

Harnessing the power of strategic planning

Strategic planning is one of the most powerful tools available to todays managers. Simply put it is the process of deciding where your business intends to go and how it is going to get there. In other words it is the concept of working in the present with a constant eye on the future. Its a simple concept but its impact can be dramatic.

Peter Legge is the president and publisher of Canada Wide Magazines Communications. In a recent conversation I asked Peter how he is able to give over 100 lectures a year author numerous books volunteer for his church and community play golf spend time with his family and still find time to run Western Canadas largest publishing company. His answer was straightforward yet insightful. He said I have a fabulous staff who understand my vision and who are empowered to make independent decisions based upon that vision.

Great companies are made up of great people but even great people need to know where they are headed if they are expected to make practical decisions. A clear vision and a little planning can go a long way towards helping people link their personal activities with their companys goals transforming a group of individuals into a unified team.

This concept is not new by any stretch of the imagination but its amazing how many businesses fail to take full advantage of its potential. They send their executives off on a weekend retreat to come up with a corporate Vision Statement proudly post it on the wall in their lobby and then go back to business as usual. Why? Because a brand new shiny Vision Statement is by itself worth little more than the paper its written on. Its true value stems from the work that goes into its creation and from the way it is used after its written not from the statement itself. So when a company develops a Vision Statement simply because it seems like the right thing to do it rarely adds value. In fact a halfhearted Vision Statement can even have a negative impact on an organization. At best its seen as just another time waster.

On the other hand a well thought out vision can point your organization in the right direction. Just like a sports team can rally its players around the vision of becoming national champions your corporate vision can become the focal point around which your entire company can rally. Of course you and your managers must walk your talk. If you try to sell your vision to your staff without truly buying into it yourself it will inevitably be viewed with cynicism. But if you stay the course your results will be more than worth it.

So how do you go about developing a Vision Statement that actually works? The answer begins with your strategic plan. An effective Vision Statement is really just a concise representation of your strategic plan. So start with your plan its what breaths life into your Vision Statement. Think about the kind of growth youre looking for the organizational structure that will be most productive the marketing position youd like to occupy and so forth. Decide where youd like to be 5 years from now and write it down. Its important to document this information because the process of documentation breeds clarity. Im not talking about writing a novel here. A few pages of organized thoughts will do but make sure you get a clear and compelling picture of your future first.

Make sure your vision is large enough to be inspirational. Inspiration leads to motivation and motivation leads to action. People cant get excited if theres nothing to get excited about. If you want your staff to change their working habits youve got to give them a reason. Offering work that has meaning and purpose is a great place to start. A well crafted Vision Statement can become a rallying point for your entire organization. So get people involved get people committed and start working strategically.

About the writer:

Mark Wardell is President and Founder of Wardell Professional Development a business consulting firm focused on the unique needs of small/mid sized growth companies.

Wardell Professional Development
http://www.wardell.biz
Email: infowardell.biz
Phone: (604) 7334489