ComputerHunter.org |
|
|
|||
|
 |
The Dripping Faucet in Every Organization
Each day millions of workers spend 8 hours or more at their respective jobs with many contributing to the dripping faucet within every organization. This faucet much like the leaking kitchen or bathroom faucet's steadily waste drops of a previous resource ? water ? every minute of every day until fixed. Yet, the dripping faucet is considered a minor annoyance until the drips become steadier. During this time, thousands of gallons of water are wasted costing the owner probably more money than it took to correct the problem. Organizations also have dripping faucets not only in their physical plants, but within their people's productivity. During the last 5 years, I have surveyed thousands of individuals who all believe that their plates are full, but admit to wasting a minimum of 12 minutes each day. For employees who are paid $30,000 not including benefits, this amounts to $14.42 each week for the one lost hour of work or $721.12 annually. If you have a facility with 50 people, the annual cost is at least $35,056. For organizations with at least 1,400 employees, the annual cost rises a minimum of $1,000,000. Dripping faucets are very expensive! How can you repair this expensive drain on your limited resources? First, consider that most people don't intentionally come to work to waste your resources. Their performance in many cases is a result of lack of knowledge and skills supported by negative attitudes and habits. These negative attitudes and habits probably contribute much more to their performance. Second, begin to ask questions about how the organization is communicating its message. If you were to survey 10% of your employees from upper, middle and front line levels and asked them to name the top 3 goals of the organization, would you receive the EXACT SAME ANSWER from each individual. Different responses contribute to people not knowing what they may need to do next and contribute to that ongoing dripping faucet. Third, determine if your employees truly understand how to plan and achieve their personal goals. If your employees are achieving their personal goals, the likelihood of them achieving corporate goals has been greatly enhanced. Time management is the apex of goal planning and achievement. If individuals don't have goals, then why worry about time? Fourth, as you train your employees include interpersonal development along with the job specific skills. If your company promotes from within, the individual is recognized for her or his job specific skills. However, as these individuals moved up through the organization, job specific skills become less while interpersonal skills become greater. Yet, much of the training fails to develop these individuals and the result is that these individuals leave which increases bottom line costs or return to their original position again increasing bottom line costs. Five, finally, think about the words that you select. For example, ask your employees how they are investing their time instead of spending their time? Frame your questions and statements using positive words that generate powerful mental images. People hear words, but they think in pictures. Six, align your systems, strategies and people to create loyal internal customers that discover those "moments of truth" leading to external customers. Southwest Airlines understands the power of alignment. These are just 6 ideas that will help you begin to repair your dripping faucets. So, grab the toolbox and begin to create a culture that does not support wasting your resources, but instead looks to invest them. Remember, the faucet continues to drip and this is very expensive. Leanne Hoagland-Smith, M.S. President of ADVANCED SYSTEMS, is the Process Specialist. With over 25 years of business and education experience, she implements and realigns processes to build sustainable change for individuals and organizations and delivers ROI solutions within a variety of industries. As co-author of M.A.G.I.C.A.L. Potential:Living an Amazing Life Beyond Purpose to Achievement due for August 2005 release, Leanne speaks nationally to a variety of audiences. If you desire AMAZING RESULTS, please call Leanne a call at 219.759.5601 or leanne@processspecialist.com. Copyright 2005(c) Leanne Hoagland-Smith http://www.processspecialist.com/organizations.htm Permission to publish this article, electronically or in print, as long as the bylines are included, with a live link, and the article is not changed in any way (grammatical corrections accepted).
Google News - Top Stories
|
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Quick Tip - Effective Meetings Have a Complete Agenda Most agendas for a meeting look like this. Five Strategies To Strengthen Your Company?s Financial Management Too many businesses wait until a crisis occurs before they start to focus on improving their financial management. Often, by that time, it can be too late. By setting aside an hour now to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of your company's financial management activities and systems you can save a lot of time and aggravation. It can also help increase your profits, and at the end of the day that is what it is all about. Steps in Using the Critical Incident Technique STEPS IN USING THE CRITICAL INCIDENT TECHNIQUE: Work Environment Tidbits Lets Flourish and Prosper! Some say that in business as in sex: if it is good, it's great and if it is bad it's still pretty good. This does not happen to be true. If business is bad, it can get very bad. There are personnel problems, production expenses, overhead, laws, taxes, fines. Faulty financial decisions, inability to accurately evaluate the situation and quickly resolve problems all lead to an extremely high mortality rate among new business: up to 95% do not survive past their first 12 months. How to Make a Difference Every Day Every day, everyone can make the world a better place. It's simple; it's quick and it is free. All it requires is a recipe containing you (yes, that's YOU!), awareness and a natural disposition to be brave enough to change the day of everyone you come into contact with in a positive way.Appreciating what people do for you, whenever you come into contact with them is the first step. It may not sound much, but saying a sincere 'Thank You' means much to many people - it is not what they experience normally. This can be a 'Thank You' to someone who holds a door open for you to the guy you buy your morning paper from. It can be to an employee who you manage, for something, for goodness sakes, for anything they did well - in the moment, sincerely.The next step, when it is comfortable for you, is to explain what it was they did that was great. So, as an example, it could be to an employee who you manage,'Thank you for that piece of work, your effort has made such a difference to it'.It could be a 'Well done' as you stand in front of a display of merchandise'What I especially like about it, is how you made such a great impact with the cornflakes'Outside your place of work, you buy a sandwich,'Thank you - can I just say what a great job you did putting that together for me; I truly appreciate it'.Sharing positive observations that people might not see in themselves, because there is not enough positive feedback in the world creates positivity.You can make a difference to literally dozens of people every day and makes their lives brighter. And how do you think they will respond to the next customer; and the next. Research shows that they will be buzzing for the next 5 interactions with others. Maybe they will 'Pay it Forward' as in the film. (Not seen it - do so!). This is about small things that you can do every day. And if you can't do it consistently? Just do it sometimes and that is much, much better than never at all.You may never know the positive difference you have made to someone you spend a little time, a little courtesy with - but you will have to live with that delicious 'not knowing'!Tip? Set yourself a target of doing this five times a day - and if you do, give yourself a pat on the back! This works in business and the real (:-)) world too! I Am Not A Number - Why Too Many Change Projects Fail Many of you will recognise this quote from the 1960s TV show, "The Prisoner". Patrick McGoohan used the phrase to describe his frustration at not being treated as an individual, and being kept in the dark about what his superiors were up to in a very confusing environment. This experience is not dissimilar to what employees face in most change projects. Why Your Company Needs An E-Mail Policy Everyone at the office thought that using the company e-mail system to share jokes and funny stories was great fun. That is, until one offended employee decided to sue his employer for having helped to create a hostile work environment. Innovation Management ? how does the user benefit? Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation. Effective Email Communication Email, when used properly, can generate additional direct sales and leads; can be used as a tool to communicate with your existing client base to let them know of upcoming events which may affect them; and as a means of ongoing promotion for your business. Having Your Phil February 2nd, at approximately 7:30 a.m. local time on Gobbler's Knob in a small town in western Pennsylvania, 20,000 people and a national radio and television audience anxiously await the prognostication of America's favorite furry forecaster. In a tradition dating back 119 years, Punxsutawney Phil emerges from hibernation?and if he sees his shadow, it's back into the burrow for six more weeks of cold weather. Build Your Business (On A Shoestring): Hire a College Intern Starting up a new venture or business can be one of the most exciting times of your life. It can also be one of the most stressful. In the early months, or even early years of your business, cash flow is often not what you would like it to be. If you're a solo entrepreneur, you're wearing many hats ? in fact, you're probably wearing all of them. A Management Strategy I witnessed some interesting behaviour from one of our premier management schools this summer. A behaviour that I have since discovered is not uncommon. Outsourced Learning: Are You Ready for Learning BPO? As the business world enters a period of hyper-competitiveness, every business process will be subjected to examination and possible restructuring. We have already seen outsourcing and offshoring used to an extent what nobody would have dreamed of a few years ago. McDonald's is testing the offshoring of its drive-thru process to India. How about, "Do you want fries with that?" with a New Delhi accent? What One Thing? A few weeks ago I asked my readers what the most important issue was in their business. Hundreds responded with a variety of answers, but one of the most common was, "How do I get everything that needs doing done?" The 10 Realities of Change I've seen several articles that begin with lines like "the only constant today is change." I assert that change that is constant can't really be called change. It's simply a new reality. It's time that we accept that things simply don't stay the same and speed to change is the new reality of business. Like any other new reality it requires new responses. How to Prepare for Your Companys Financial Future Sooner or later, most business owners need to look for outside financing. Whether it's a line of credit with a bank to handle predictable cash crunches or a significant capital investment to improve plant and equipment, virtually every business will need access to additional funds at some point in its life. 10 Fool Proof Ways To Intensify Your Profits 1. Create benefit intensifiers for your list of ad copy benefits. Example, The Benefit: "Save More Time", The Benefit's Intensifier: "Never Seen Before". Reprimanding Marginal Employees THE MARGINAL PERFORMER: Every manager must, from time to time, deal with a marginal performer - an employee whose work, for the most part, is satisfactory, but who regularly fails in some specific area or areas to maintain a satisfactory level of performance. The work of the marginal performer can be classified as substandard in some cases but not so poor as to warrant immediate termination. Management Team Section of Business Plans Writing an award winning business plan is a great skill, but rather than winning any awards you need to get funded. In order to be funded the bank, venture capital firm or even family members need to be sure they will either be paid back or receive their required return on investment. To succeed in business you need a quality management team one, which can move you thru the rough waters of start-up and control the ship as you sail away from the competition.
|
|
|
|
|
