The Ms. CEO Show

The Ah-Ha Blog! is published daily by Felicia Joy of Ms. CEO Media Inc. Tuesdays focus on “Business by Design,” covering various topics to improve the components of your business. Questions or comments regarding the blog can be posted simply by clicking on ‘Comment’ above. Felicia Joy is a real-world entrepreneur with nearly 10 years of experience in building businesses. In addition to her daily blog, Felicia hosts a weekly national talk radio show on entrepreneurship on www.msceoshow.com—and in June will begin publishing Ms. CEO Magazine for distribution to 100,000 women throughout the U.S. She is also an in-demand speaker who travels the country delivering her message of excellence in entrepreneurship.

Build a Dream Team to Build a Dream Business

Today’s “Business By Design” topic touches on the element of business that matters most: people.  Is your company designed to attract and retain the best talent possible?  One of IBM’s global surveys of CEOs asked, “What really keeps you up at night?” and the most popular answer by far was: Concerns about whether we have the right people.

Technological innovations can be quickly duplicated.  Brilliant marketing creates momentum for a while.  New systems add to a company’s efficiency.  But the “X” factor that makes all the difference in the world for whether you walk away with gold, silver, bronze or no medal at all in the competitive business environment is your people.

Companies that consistently win in the marketplace win because they attract good people at every level of the organization and this does not happen by accident.  There are strategic and thoughtful things you can do and must do to attract and build a team of professionals who are going to work hard and help deliver the success you envision when you think about your company.

Here are five ideas you should consider to make sure you have or are building a winning team:

1.    On-boarding.  This is a human resources best practice that ensures that a new employee’s orientation does not merely consist of being handed a manila folder full of paperwork that s/he is sent off to complete while her/his email address is being set up.  On-boarding is a deliberate and intentional process whereby a new employee is thoughtfully brought up to speed and made to feel like a valuable and responsible new member of a winning team.  This means pairing them with a specific person who will show them the ropes day in and day out for a couple weeks.  This means going through your company’s “story” with the new hire so that if asked within a matter of one or two weeks this person not only feels a true part of the company but they can be an ambassador at home and in the community really able to communicate with fervor about what your organization does.  In addition, the person should have some “real” work to do by the second day.  Any employee worth their weight comes through the door ready to work and you should oblige their expectations.  All of this is good for the bottom line and great for building a dream team.  (If you need help setting up a good On-boarding program at your company, reach out to Roberta Chinsky Matuson at Human Resource Solutions – www.yourhrexperts.com).

2.    Developing an Ownership Mentality.  In small companies, everybody knows everybody and we all know who the boss is but everyone should feel like an owner.  In fact, if you are able to do so you might want to consider offering ownership in the company to employees who meet certain performance standards.  But whether you offer literal ownership or not, an “ownership mentality” should be instilled in everyone through open communication, teambuilding activities, consistent recognition and a percentage of compensation—even if it is in the form of a bonus—being tied to individual and company performance.  Folks should feel like they are working with you and for you and that what they do really matters.

3.    Leadership should be a way of life. It’s so cliché but true: Leadership doesn’t emerge from a title or status; leadership emerges from the actions a person takes to achieve the overall team goal.  Leadership skill-building and performance indicators should be a part of every person’s job description and responsibilities—from Administrative Assistants to Executive Vice Presidents and above.  There is an opportunity for leadership at every level everyday and every employee should be reminded that they can act as a leader and be acknowledged and recognized when they do.

4.    Create an innovation-friendly environment.  Some of the best ideas come from the dumbest ones.  Albert Einstein knew that.  Allocate time on a weekly basis during which people are required to innovate.  Even if it’s just 20 minutes, that is 20 minutes well spent.  Then have people share their innovations for the week with the understanding that nothing will be judged.  In fact, you don’t even have to talk about the ideas that the team is not interested in—just talk about the ones that seem good for further exploration.  Nothing gets a team engaged and moving forward like innovating together, making strides together, and collectively stomping the competition.    

5.    Give honest, direct and frequent feedback.  Some employees will not be keen on this practice right away if they are not used to it but everyone should get used to it.  Business success isn’t found in crystal balls unless that’s what you sell.  It is found in consistent performance and adaptability and you can only reach these achievements by making sure everyone understands the goal and is doing their part.  When someone isn’t doing their part you have to figure out why and give them an opportunity to do so or place them in an area that matches their strengths—or help them move on to a place where they can achieve.  All of this only occurs through honest, direct feedback and the more frequently you give feedback the more readily people accept it and don’t feel like they’re being hit over the head with a bag of hammers because they thought things were fine while their manager has been dissatisfied for the entire quarter.

Our businesses are built through people.  Build yours even stronger by employing these five steps to strengthen your team!

Be Encouraged,

Felicia Joy