Great Communication
Small to Great
Create + Make = Independence
Take The High Ground
Gear of Life
Links To Success
Calm
Presentation - who are you?
Training – Trick or Treat?
But there is another big wrong happening with zero media attention – the hand-out of qualifications with little or no meaning. And “meaning” has two meanings. Firstly, due to the generic nature of many qualifications, there is a lack of meaningful connection to a business or industry. Secondly, and more critical, is the lack of meaning or motive to the individual, the student. As a qualified trainer/assessor, I’ve noticed the overriding motive of most international students is a long stay in Australia, not the learning. Unscrupulous operators hitch onto this motive by providing a tick-the-box service. What makes it even more illogical is that a typical Diploma course will set a student back circa $14 000. So you’d think there would be a strong desire to find a quality training provider and make the most of the learning opportunity. Some yes – most no, and the entire system is letting it happen.
Australian education and training, at every level has maintained a very high standard but my own anecdotal evidence suggests the drive for privatisation, profits, lack of regulation and an absence of business pushback indicates it is on a downward spiral. Left unchecked this will permanently tarnish our Tertiary/VET qualifications and the entire industry – and when that happens, it will be a long road back. And, of course, the ultimate customer, Australian business, will suffer. As a senior manager in a number of organisations, I’ve interviewed and employed a number of people in various roles. An individual who presented themselves with a Diploma in a field relevant to the business would have an additional quality that may secure them the job – and as an Australian qualification, I’d see no real need to question it. But all I can say now is, business leaders beware; there is a fair chance (and it seems, an increasing chance), a Diploma noted on a resume is just that – a line on a document. Training is a critical component of any business’ growth strategy but in order to ensure maximum value you need to consider the following:
- Do your checks. A Diploma may have little meaning. Confirm the applicant’s knowledge. Check out the college’s credentials and the trainer (if possible) – Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) issues media releases when a training provider is de-registered. A college’s high completion rate may not mean quality learning but rather low standards. Quality must be the overriding KPI.
- Understand the Qualification. Go to www.training.gov.au for details on all approved VET qualifications. Review the topics and the relevance to the role and your business.
- Customise your Training. Work with an organisation that has industry experienced trainers and customise your training to suit your business. Most times, the standard generic course has little relevance – customisation links the training directly to your business. At an organisation I was involved in, we approached TAFE for specific training on a discipline to suit our business – no interest. With the help of an external provider, we developed a customised training package which directly linked the core outcomes to our business.
- Feedback. Industry groups need to put pressure on governments to ensure that appropriate standards are maintained.
Leadership? Brexit, the wrong example!
The recent Brexit issue raised a serious concern with me. As the story goes, back in 2013, David Cameron was experiencing a great deal of internal pressure from within his own party to exit the European Union. Unchecked immigration and the inability to act independently were seen as the big ticket items. To placard his support and put the issue to bed (he hoped) he decided to go to the UK public with a referendum and in essence, let them decide. Wow! This was not a question on a new flag design or the colour mix n match for the English Olympic team’s Rio uniform – important issues in their own right but quite small mash in terms of economic importance. The UK public or any public for that matter, with all of their combined intellectual power, will not have the necessary skill set to fully understand the machinations of the global financial markets and the critical detail on how the world machine works. And as we all know, our representatives, our politicians, always sell issues in fluffy hyperboles with very little supporting detail that the average layperson can understand. So, why is the key decision maker on the very important issue of EU membership, left to the outcome of public referendum? The post mortem of Brexit is starting to show that many voters voted leave/remain purely on a single issue affecting them, here and now – quite a number, racially motivated. And what of contingency plans – are there any? Surely, this is not the way for decision making on key issues.
Leaders are elected to lead. They have the skill set to fulfill this role. They understand the issues of their organisation and if they don’t, they find out. And they lead by setting a vision with short and long term goals, underpinned by well-thought-out strategic plans – plans which model in detail how each objective and the vision will be achieved. They develop trust, communicate and garner support, all the while committed to their vision. Unfounded opinion, no matter how popular, will not sway them. As a leader, you need to understand where you want the organisation to go, its long-term vision, what will it look like in 5, 10 and 20 years from now. How you get there is the next key discipline to master. These are some of the steps:
- Vision broken down to short, medium and long-term objectives.
- Understand the issues. Communication and consultation at all levels. Seeking expert advice. Integrate these into your plans.
- Model your plans. “Role Play” your organisation through each of the steps in the plan. What does the P&L look like each year? Does it hold together? What are the risks? What are the contingency plans?
- Communicate your plans in terms understood by all – in sufficient detail so all levels of your organisation understand the steps, the risks and rewards these plans will bring. Be open. Great leaders will impart understanding and inspire to recruit support.
- Act. Decisively.
- Review constantly, consult, and adjust. Bring everyone along. Ensure a regular communication plan. Never be afraid to adjust or even take on a new direction.
Impossible Possible? Do a Leicester!
- At the start of the season, they were 5000:1 to win the premiership. Finding alien life is 1000:1 $45m in transfers versus Chelsea’s $426m
- 10% of Chelsea’s wage bill, 19% of Manchester United and Manchester City, 23% of Arsenal. Remember, no salary gap in the EPL. Its billionaires v millionaires v handouts.
- In 2015, 26% of Manchester United’s revenue.
- Claudio Ranieri, at 64, accomplished Mr Nice Guy but no major trophy in 30 years of managing.
- No big names. But now Jamie Vardy is EPL Player of the Year, Riyad Mahrez is PFA Player of the Year.
- Premiership won over 38 games. Lost 3 games. 1 year ago they were fighting relegation.
So what happened to Leicester City? Swapping places with Chelsea – last year’s champions, best manager, best bank account and big names with big salaries. How can it be? How does it all come together, the formula to winning, not a 1-off game, but a marathon of 38 games over a period of 10 months? Don’t put this down to luck. It’s intriguing. I’m not sure what formula was used for this Leicester win – I don’t think Leicester know themselves. I suspect, once the parties end, they’ll huddle to understand exactly how it all came together – the perfect recipe. If football is a sporting analogy to business (and I think it is) what are these Leicester “ingredients” that we should use in business. This is my opinion – I’d be keen to get yours.
Sydney Traffic – Our Frog’s Boiling Water
You spend an hour travelling to work, arrive frustrated, angry, and your work day has yet to begin. Chances of accidents, on the road and at work, increase. And spare a thought for the businesses which live on the roads – a recent survey found 43% of businesses had their vehicles stuck in traffic for up to 3 hours per day, and this is in the relative free pastures of Western Sydney.
- Relocate. You’ll have to wait until the current lease expires but ….. question ….. really question why you need to be in or near the CBD. Where do your employees live?
- Different Work Hours. An underutilised option. Do the investigation, think outside the square. Ask the employees or if you’re an employee, ask your employer if it’s possible. Can you redesign some jobs and processes so they are undertaken outside peak traffic hours? Trial it – in most cases, little to no harm will be done if it doesn’t work out.
- Work Remote. We are becoming more and more web connected with ever-increasing data transfer capacity and speed, so there should be increasing opportunities to work remotely but there seems to be very little take up. In fact, I was speaking to individual where their employer recently discontinued a very workable work-from-home option. Why? A minefield for work health and safety. This is where we need leadership from government to make it easier for employers. I heard of other instances where employers are reluctant to allow employees because of their fear that home distractions will interrupt a full day’s work. Meeting targets is the answer. The absence of team interaction, and the sounding board aspect of an office will be an issue. But consider two-way video streaming – it may also help with the safety concerns.
- Public Transport. Albeit there is a lot to improve, the public transport system is in good shape. Employers and government must encourage greater use. Employees need to give it a go.
- Car pooling. Not open too many but nevertheless should always be considered.
- Pedal Power. Creating bike paths is not easy – expensive and you need space. And where space is scarce, like most areas around Sydney, then encroaching on existing roads only exacerbates the problem. But, where they exist, it’s a great option. May take a little longer, but keeps you fit and that has to be a plus towards productivity and life in general. Good to see Barangaroo’s International Towers will have 1000 bike spaces (and only 600 car spaces) with an on-site bike repair shop.
- Autonomous cars. I know, quite a way for this to become reality and therefore of no real relevance for this article but hey, what a great idea for productivity. Imagine, a mobile office, where travel time is part your work day.
Make Hay, Repair the Roof
Some organisations understand the value of a regular business review, many don’t, especially SMEs – they don’t understand the process; too busy or don’t believe they need it. Managers and employees are trapped in the comfort zone of what they know and what they’ve been doing for years – comfort is the enemy of innovation.
- Understand the Short & Long Term Goals. The sad truth is a lot of SMEs do not have an active business plan in place. But they all have goals. What are they are? Is it a case of growth to win market share; profits every year; new products, etc. Get clarity on the goals – written or otherwise.
- What will be Reviewed? It may only be a certain division/department of the organisation. Typically, it should be the entire business. All facets of a business are intertwined – each supporting each other to achieve their respective goals. Financial performance, operations, sales and marketing, human resources and processes should all be reviewed. The culture of the business needs special attention – it reveals a lot about the underlying issues within the organisation. Always prepare with a list of questions and issues to review.
- The Reviewers. Who will lead this review? Large companies will typically have dedicated individuals tasked with the review. SMEs rely on their own management. Many rely on an external facilitator to offer a fresh perspective on the business and a dedicated focus on the review.
- Doing the Review. The key words are Communicate, Consult & Understand. To get the best results, it requires upfront communication on the review’s purpose and how it will be conducted. It must not be seen as a witch-hunt or as a pre-cursor to redundancies. Be open and transparent. If possible, undertake any interviews as one-on-one. It gives the greatest opportunity to understand any underlying gripes to surface – another good reason to use an external facilitator. Profile the organisation’s culture.
- Identify Development Needs. Throughout the process a good reviewer will get a good understanding of where the business is at – its financial performance, structure, culture and importantly, what are its development needs. At the end of the process, quiet time will be required to digest and analysis the information and the business – is it on track to achieve its goals? What improvements are required? How can it exploit its strengths and available opportunities, whilst addressing its weaknesses and threats?
- Regular. It’s important that a business review is conducted regularly. This is an independent hard look at the business – warts and all and best handled by a team which is not immersed in its day-to-day operation.
This Fool Can Cook
Which brings me to what I consider is a massive failure of many businesses – the absence of simple and effective recipes, their business manual. A manual which outlines their recipe for success – the steps to make the ideal widget, to carry out the high quality service, to ensure each client returns time and again. A recipe to employee proof, boss proof the process so the customer gets exactly what they ordered, every time, no matter who is at the company. Many organisations still rely quite heavily on their employees to make their own way through a typical day, developing their own procedures on the run in order to fulfil their roles. The end result is wasted time, frustration and a potentially negative impact on the business when the employee suddenly leaves. And, how can management be sure that the right standards, safety factors and certifications have been met? A business manual, followed and well-presented is a brilliant advertisement of an organisations professional approach – a major confidence boost to potential clients.
- Understand the Plan: What is the strategic plan of the business and vision for the next 5 years? What is the best structure and roles to deliver this plan? How do each areas of business work together?
- Get into the Detail: Review the way it’s done now. Continually ask why? Drill into the detail. Understand how all parts of the business link together. A skilled reviewer will ask probing questions without the confrontation.
- Consult & Agree: Is this the best way to undertake this process, build this widget, and provide this service? Do other procedures need to change? Is the company structured correctly for optimal efficiency in carrying out its processes? Involve the people who have been doing it for some time but don’t leave it at that. Involve internal/external outsiders – the recipients of their service/product and others with knowledge or experience in another industry. It’s important to bring fresh thinking, a different perspective, an eye to simplify and innovate. Get agreement by all, especially those that need to utilise it on a daily basis. Their buy-in will make it work and allow the business to pursue continual improvement – a key goal of the business manual.
- Document & Train: Get it down in written form, hard copy and electronic. Make it accessible and easy to follow. Have all the steps in sequential order and begin with a 1 or 2 worded title, capturing the essence of that step. And importantly, undertake awareness training – a process by which all employees are made aware of the company’s policies and procedures, the benefits, where to find them and the process by which they can initiate improvements.
- Review & Improve: Many organisations have taken the initiative to develop a business manual but failed to keep it “alive”. The manual needs to be regularly reviewed, a process which prompts for improvements in policies, processes and procedures – a very important step in the application of an effective business manual.
Why Innovation Is No Longer Black & White
I’m a believer, always have been. As an engineer, the science argument on climate change always made sense. We live in a finite world where resources are limited and the capacity of the world’s atmosphere to absorb pollution is also limited. Something, at some point, has to give – simple logic to an engineer. And when you have Pope Francis publically backing the argument, you’d think he’d have the ear of someone who knows.
At the time of writing, the UN Climate Conference in Paris is in full swing and Malcolm Turnbull, the Australian PM, announced a $1.1 billion innovation incentive package. The economy is weaning itself off mining stuff under our feet and now gearing itself to mine the collective brainpower of our well educated society. And about time. A recent CPA Australia survey of 3000 small businesses throughout Asia-Pacific found that only 5% of Australian businesses planned to introduce a new product, service or process in the next year. This compared poorly against Indonesia at 46%, China at 32%, Malaysia at 29% and Vietnam at 26%. Converting research into innovative commercial success, the OECD ranks Australia 116th out of 142 nations.
Climate change presents many opportunities for business. Not only to be a great corporate citizen and protect the planet for future generations but also to help sustain their businesses into the future. It’s no secret, many investment houses are steering well clear of investing in fossil fuel industries and now focusing their funds towards greener operations. Yes, we can be cynical and view this purely as a PR exercise. But as long as genuine action follows, this can only lead to a win-win for both the environment and business. In this regard, a business should have two primary aims – be a great corporate citizen and to innovate with green products, services and processes. When it comes to climate change, you cannot have one without the other. And it’s no surprise, if you get the first two right, a third goal comes into play – a sustainable and growing business.
There are many green opportunities, but the secret is not what product, service or process – it’s the leadership to decide to look for the opportunities and take the plunge to innovate and fill the need. It’s the decision that believes climate change is real, governments will sooner or later act and the market will follow. Businesses that act on it now will win and have a sustainable future. Businesses that don’t, will wither and die. Large businesses typically have this concept in play and green innovations are already part of their R&D budget. My concern is the small to medium size business whose daily busyness prevents them from thinking about green innovations – remember only 5% will introduce a new product or service in the next 12 months. And yet, it is these businesses which have the greatest potential. In relative terms, the green market is still quite young and therefore not sufficiently attractive and viable to the larger players – fertile ground for the small business who wants to break in, take up a market share they can comfortably deal with and grow with the expected growth. Think of natural ventilation – an old style method of keeping cool which died with the advent of air conditioning. The focus on energy efficiency and clever design has now given new life to this mode of cooling. Similarly with evaporative cooling. Old technologies modernised with a new lease of life to provide comfort with low power consumption. The same can be said about wind and solar power. Recently, I was asked to evaluate a new roof mounted sky window for daylighting and natural ventilation. The optional blind was solar-powered – design simplification, avoiding labour intensive electrical cabling and no mains power. And who would have thought that we would get over the green energy storage issue as quick as we did? This big hurdle convinced many fossil fuel CEOs that their future was secure. Not anymore. Free energy on tap is nearly here.
Two simple messages – innovation is critical to the survival and growth of any business. Green innovation secures its long term future. Constantly critique your products, services and processes. And next time you have your regular innovation brainstorming session, green must be a key attribute. If it’s not, start again. Every problem has a solution. Every situation has a better way. Every product can be improved. Climate change is a good reason, now let’s find a better way – benefit the planet and benefit your business.
Paris Attacks: Strategic Trap
- Counter the plan to Divide & Recruit: Via these atrocities, they seek to divide society on religious grounds, driving young disfranchised recruits to their cause. Leaders make a mistake by referring to these crimes as an “Act of War” – it only fuels the attraction for an immature mind looking for a cause of grandeur. They need to be seen as criminals not soldiers.
- Minimise Publicity: By their very nature, these atrocities shock and unfortunately become newsworthy, fueling worldwide publicity, publicity the cowards’ strategic plan craves. It’s madness! Imagine for a moment, the extreme opposite – little to no news about the Paris attacks. Yes, we would all like/need to know but, the lack of publicity kills the cowards’ plan. Virtually all media outlets have images (video and photos) with “fighters” posing with guns, ammunition, tanks – images which an immature, disfranchised mind may view as grandiose and heroic. And yes, we want to live in a society of free speech but when free speech works against us, we need to think again – governments and the media must work together.
- No Branding: More madness! Why do we continually refer to this group of thugs as Islamic State – it only supports their plan to divide and recruit on religious grounds. If there is one very simple thing all governments, its people and importantly, and all media outlets must do, is alter the reference – call them Daesh, ISIL, X, Cowards but avoid this reference to the Islamic religion. These atrocities are not based on religion but on a grab for unfettered and brutal power – pure and simple.
- Refugees: Finally, should we fear the influx of refugees? As long as tight controls are in place, the humane thing to do is for all nations to take their fair share of genuine refugees. There may be the odd individual that infiltrates with ill intent but is it best to have this individual on the outside or within our circle of influence and control?
Respect – Secret to Great Customer Service
- The High-End: Recently in Sydney, a traditional pub decided to introduce stricter dress codes and (by all reports) banned the hi-vis worker’s uniform. In principal, nothing too wrong with the idea, in fact, considering the inner city location, it had a lot of merit. Become a more presentable establishment and attract a more up market clientele by introducing better dress standards. The unfortunate part with this strategy was that management did not communicate it well and the media had a field day. The hi-vis uniform ban was perceived to be an act of class discrimination against all blue collar workers.
- A Larger Audience: The A-League football competition had its inaugural season in 2005. Prior to this, the top level football in Australia was the NSL, made up of ethic-based clubs such as Marconi (Italian), Sydney United (Croatian), Sydney Olympic (Greek), etc. It was believed this only attracted people from those backgrounds, resulting in poor and often racially hostile crowds. So the A-league was born with new clubs devoid of any ethic ties and designed to appeal to a much broader audience. In the main it has worked well, however, they left behind a lot of disgruntled NSL club supporters – foundation fans of the game, who felt they had been disrespected and ignored. A lost opportunity to bring those fans along, all great advocates and supporters of the game.
- The Nuisance Sale: You know the one I’m referring to – typical Joe Public who wonders in and purchases a $10 item which costs the company $15 just to process the paperwork. A lot of organisations will abruptly state there is a minimum order value and provide little to no option on how else the client can purchase the product they’ve been buying for many years. It makes perfect business sense to eliminate this type of loss-making transaction but it makes no sense to alienate these traditional loyal clients – walking, talking billboards. It makes perfect sense to courteously communicate well in advance and provide suitable options.
- The Tyrekicker: As a child, I’d go to the Sydney Markets with my dad, a farmer who sold his produce directly to greengrocers. His produce was excellent. My dad had many great traits but customer service wasn’t one of them. I specifically remember when certain potential clients would rock up and start handling the vegetables with what I perceived to be a strong intent to purchase. I’d look at my dad and motion to do his stuff. His gaze would only budge momentarily away from his Italian paper. Not interested. Why? He made a call that this guy couldn’t afford his produce. The potential walked off. He could not know for sure and he didn’t. A lost opportunity to convert another, another’s friend, another another’s friend and so on, and so on.
What is Happening Under the (VW) Bonnet?
At this stage, it seems that the CEO and the board had no clue about the defeat devices. But they carry full responsibility. Obviously, if they were an integral part of the whole sordid affair, well then that’s another ball game – for this article, I’m assuming they were completely blindsided. VW is an extreme example and seems to be one built on deceit and illegal conduct. Many other less newsworthy examples exist, all with improper conduct at the core, making a mockery of the “values” adorning receptions at many organisations. So, why is it that boards, CEOs and managers allow their companies to get into these situations?
When things are going great, management tend to leave their direct reports alone – sales and profits are up, huge backlog of orders, winning many awards, no accident in 30 years, employer of the year, excellent balance sheet, etc. You know what I mean – KPI heaven, the sun shines where it doesn’t normally, the company and its people can do no wrong. Manage by exception, don’t fix it if it’s not broken, are all well-worn clichés. Unfortunately, in too many cases, there is a time bomb ticking away, an insidious diseases taking hold – in the extreme, it could be an illegality of how sales and profits are won, but, normally, it is more a case of legal but damaging actions (or no action) such as a new head of division making wrong calls, a top heavy inefficient overhead, no systems and a toxic culture building rapidly within the organisation. When problems appear, the CEO, the board and management pay attention – micromanagement and corporate governance is the order of the day. But in many instances, it’s all too late. Damage is done, the company is on a slippery slide and good people are lost. Good people? Yes, amongst the cheats and bad leaders, there are good decent people who did not want to jump over their immediate manager and be seen as “snitching” – any actions like this will typically be career ending. In a lot of cases, this is true but the irony is that keeping quiet and toeing the line may have a similar outcome. Again, think VW, there will be a lot of innocent employees as collateral damage. They should not be put in that situation in the first instance.
As a manager, how do you avoid this from happening? Obviously trust and integrity in leadership is a given but that alone won’t stop a VW moment. It also requires a great team, effective and simple systems with consistent oversight. As a great leader and manager, not only will you have a thorough understanding of your own immediate level of responsibility but you will also be across your direct reports’ level of responsibility. You’ll be in regular touch with the people that make up those two levels. Some direct reports may see this as undermining or micromanaging. It’s not. You need to understand what is happening, the dynamics of the department/division, know the personnel, what is working, what is not and, importantly, all valuable inputs to allow you to provide support and guidance. It also provides a comfortable conduit for any personnel who may wish to have a confidential discussion – for obvious reasons, a very delicate area but if managed correctly, a very effective people management skill.
It’ll be very interesting to see how this whole VW scenario plays out. Did they have an effective leadership regime which involved managing across two levels? I reckon not. What do you think?
9 Steps to Great Mentoring and Coaching
- Be Authentic: Establish trust. Authenticity is vital. Outline your history, your experience and importantly your human touch. Without trust, it will be difficult to move forward and provide value.
- Listen and Understand: Meet with the mentee’s manager and/or with the mentee. Listen carefully – the issues may not be well articulated. It could be to address low confidence in taking on a new role; how best to handle a series of issues; or to learn new leadership skills. The issues and objectives could be wide and varied. Listen and understand the overarching objectives.
- Understand the Mentee and Environment: Attain a good understanding of the mentee, their history, job and environment. This is important information for your mentoring/coaching. As the sessions proceed, further details will inevitably emerge. Take notes and continue to refine this understanding.
- Crystallise the Issues: Prior to this step, you may only have a broad understanding of the issues and objectives of the mentoring/coaching. This step sharpens the focus. Agree on the desired outcome. List them out in a program – a document which captures the objectives, strategies, actions and timelines.
- Brainstorming Sessions: Make these regular – weekly is a great interval. Prepare. Ask open questions and get the mentee’s thinking juices flowing. Gently steer to solutions that are worth pursuing. A good mentor/coach will listen, empathise, plant idea seeds, all the while using their experience and wisdom to steer the mentee along the desired path. These sessions will also unearth other issues and strengthen the bond between the mentee and mentor/coach. Importantly, document your agreed strategies, actions and timelines and at each session monitor the progress and drive improvements.
- Practice and Implementation: Between the sessions, the mentee will practice and implement the agreed strategies and actions. During this period, it is important that the mentor/coach is available in person, on the phone or via email for guidance if required.
- Feedback: Constantly give and seek feedback – to/from the mentee and other stakeholders as may be appropriate. Adjust your approach to improve.
- Completion: When and how the sessions end is very dependent on the circumstances, the mentee and the objectives. I strongly believe each objective you address will have an ending or at the very least the attainment of an agreed level or milestone. The sessions may continue to attain further improvements.
- Follow-up Review: Once the desired objectives are met, the relationship may end. However, I believe it is important to organise a follow-up review – in 1, 2 or 3 monthly intervals – to ensure the mentee is still on track and has not fallen away and returned to old habits.
You Can’t Handle The Truth!
Early on in my career, I had a middle manager who needed to deliver a technical presentation to a potential client and he sought my assistance on our product range and ideas on the presentation. I helped, however, I went further. I also stated I’d go along and help with the presentation. He didn’t say no but I failed to read the signs. My intentions were good, provide support and improve our chances of securing a major client. However, in hindsight, it was the wrong move. He was very capable, I had to let go and trust – and I had a stack of more strategic issues on my plate.
A productivity survey I was reading recently, revealed that approximately 25% of managers believe they could be more productive if they delegated/outsourced and reduced their personal workload.
- The Plan. Get this done. Know where you want the business to go and what it will take to get it there. Know the budget. And remember, this plan, like all good plans, must be constantly reviewed and tweaked/altered as required. Understand your “driver” role in this plan.
- In-house Resources. The plan will have this covered. Know what is required to deliver the plan. But as we all know too well, management issues and projects come and go – some planned, some unplanned. Typically, the unplanned creates the extra workload.
- Delegate. Understand your team’s workload, constantly look for efficiencies, prioritise and where possible make room for the unplanned projects. Delegate. You cannot be the leader/driver of the business if you’re also personally immersed in a compliance issue, a WHS plan, a new training module or other project.
- Management Buddy. Outsource. Rarely considered. Most managers believe that an external party will not understand the business, and in the time it takes to come to terms with the detail, the manager or other employee will have completed the project. Yes…but at what cost? The cost of taking yourself out of the leader’s role. A smart, experienced external party will apply a fresh set of eyes to your business and quickly come to terms with the detail. This understanding phase, is a one-off event which will reward many times over, with the option to turn it on/off as required and avoid the non-productivity of a permanent resource. And the cost? Typically, the biggest objection of them all. What is the cost of the manager not acting on his/her responsibilities of planning and leadership? Nebulous as this may be, there is a high cost.
NLogic - City 2 Surf 2015 Challenge
Untapped Italy - Potential in Neutral
Corruption: A dirty word and no one wants to talk about it. And yes, a lot of countries and organisations have it, but it seems poor old Italy has it in truckloads and has had it for a very long time. To say it is now part of the fabric of society is maybe stretching it too far and would be admitting defeat but it is awfully close to the truth. Everyone points the finger in this direction but yet it seems there is very little political courage to do anything about it. True leadership is not only missing, the sad part is that very few Italians believes it’s ever possible.
Complacency: Unfortunately, you can understand how this trait sets in and it’s a travesty. There are seat belt rules, but very few comply. In fact, patiently waiting at the edge of a pedestrian crossing for a break in the traffic, a quick survey revealed only 30% were wearing seat belts. In fact, at first I was admonished by my host for my automatic reaction to fasten my seat belt. “Don’t worry about the belt, don’t waste your time, there is very little enforcement” was the reason given. And yes, by the 2nd week my automatic reaction of grabbing the seatbelt had waned to a faint memory. There is a lot to be said about the Australian government sponsored health campaigns such as “Click-Clack Front & Back”, “Quit Smoking” and “Skin Cancer”…they may be expensive, intrusive and somewhat sickening to see, but, with consistent follow through, they do change habits and attitudes and ultimately save lives and a positive outcome to the national budget. On my observation, this is missing in Italy.
Discipline & Leadership: When I recounted the near miss of being run over by a 20 tonne lorry at a pedestrian crossing or side swiped by cars overtaking me at over 100km/hr on a 50km/hr stretch of winding mountain road …. I got the “what’s the big deal” shrug of the shoulders signifying that the rules are there but little to no enforcement. Small examples of what seems to be the culture of the political will within Italy. At this stage, Italy may have bigger problems on its plate, but these issues all point to where the problem lies – leadership – strong political leadership to make this cultural shift. Some say this is the attraction of Italy, this is what defines Italians and the Italian lifestyle, the “laissez-faire” attitude, the antithesis of German or Swiss rigidity….maybe so, but who says you can’t have both. Yes, it’s a massive mountain to climb but with the right leadership….wow…watch Italy go then.
5 Secrets On Great Training
Certificate IV in Training & Assessment
This qualification is a regulatory requirement within the Australian Quality Training Framework (AQTF) standards that must be met under the national training framework. Certificate IV in Training and Assessment is the qualification required for all trainers delivery Australian government approved training package qualifications and accredited curricula in the Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector. Joe has many years of experience in undertaking mentoring, coaching and training of employees and customers' personnel and in order to be fully compliant and compliment this experience and knowledge, he undertook and successfully completed a course in Certificate IV Training and Assessment (TAE40110). Congratulations Joe!
Courage
In the relative safe surrounds of business, fortunately, the act of courage isn’t a matter of life and death, but similarities exist. Picture this, you have a secure job, a mortgage to service, yet, you go off on your own and try your luck – it takes courage to do this. You’re an employee who knows right from wrong and annoyed that the business owner has taken an unscrupulous path, and you’re part of it. The encouraged act of camaraderie with work colleagues, an important ingredient of teamwork often presents uncomfortable gossip situations – deep down you know your colleagues' view of your boss is wrong or unfair. Do you shut them down?
These are all typical examples of situations we constantly face which challenge our courage, the will to go against the popular view, face the fear, anger and possible vindictiveness that may come from it all. I think we’ve all been there. Courage is never an easy virtue to exercise. We all want to be liked, keep the peace, maintain the harmony, etc and therefore having the courage to state your belief against the norm will always challenge us. Yes, some bridges may be burnt, but these virtuous acts have a knack of all coming good. And we certainly do not want to be a rebel, a troublemaker, looking for opportunities to exercise our courage.
- Deliberate often, decide once: Think long and hard about an issue, consult widely, weigh up the pros and cons, place your values and beliefs at the centre of it all. Then decide and stick to it, attempting at all times to take others with you knowing full well there will be a few who will not follow.
- Accept Uncertainity: As John Finley, English historian and mathematician aptly put it ….. maturity is the capacity to accept uncertainity. Understand the risks, the potential pitfalls and develop contingencies. Build resilience and perseverance in your plan, knowing full well that uncertainties may occur. But remember, true courage is not foolhardy, but prepared.
- Moral clarity: A great book, “Right & Wrong” by Hugh Mackay outlines ways to test the clarity of your moral courage….would I do this if this was the only thing that people would use to judge my overall integrity and write my epitaph? Would I stand in front of an audience, made up of my family and closest friends and tell them what I did?
- Tell it the way it is: When a view or belief is popular, it is hard to contradict it and swim against the current. But when the situation demands it, courage requires that we do just that.
Business 101: Religion?
To you and your family, have a safe and restful Easter break.
Lead Team Culture Improvement
Culture is one of those nebulous areas of an organisation. Difficult to define, it has many origins, takes on many forms and typically has developed over many years. As a result, culture change is difficult but not impossible. A great team culture is probably the biggest single factor in the success of a company. Equally and unsurprisingly, a toxic culture, its demise.
- Encourage the Team to Understand and Own the Plan: From the very beginning have the patience and set aside the time to involve your entire team in the development of the plan of whatever you want to do. Be positive, seek participation by all team members and solicit their feedback and ideas. Encourage understanding and buy-in of the goals and the strategies to get there, and importantly, the individual role of each employee. On an on-going basis, communicate this at every opportunity. Do this in an open, transparent manner, building trust and relationships with all employees. But some might say, “My management team and I just don’t have the time to do all of this – we need to make quick decisions and move on”. You need to find the time. If you want a prosperous business, you need a great team to get there. Open communication and patience are the key attributes.However, sometimes no matter what you do, no matter how you present it, and how hard you try, some employees will just not “own” the plan or idea. That’s OK. At the very least, they will know the rationale behind the plan.
- Promote and Instill the Continuous Improvement Habit. Everyone wants to improve. And as C.W. Barron quite rightly stated, “Everything can be improved”, equally applying to an individual’s self-development as well as a business’ systems, services and products. A mindset of continuous innovation and improvement is at the heart of every successful sustainable business. The ideal situation is to have every employee with this innovative mindset, continuously throughout the working day, always thinking if there is a better way of doing things. Encourage employees to improve their own skill sets via training and, wherever possible, taking on different roles within the company. Schedule regular meetings or incorporate a feedback system where ideas and thoughts can be presented. Set up KPIs/Metrics with incentives to encourage participation and improvement. The goal is to instill a mindset which always looks for continuous improvement. A team which does this and is recognised for it, is motivated and a key component of a great team culture.
- Trust, Communicate, Lead. Throughout the entire business, trust must be developed. Without this, great teamwork will not take hold and any good plans and continuous improvement systems will quickly falter. Truly lead by example. Don’t let an attitude of “do as I say not as I do” be a part of the organisation – the single biggest contributor to a toxic culture. Communicate in all forms and often. Build and maintain open relationships with the team members, take a genuine interest in the individual’s personal life. Be positive, genuinely compliment, confidentially rectify any issues and quickly eliminate any persistent unfounded gossip and rumors. Via appropriate questions at the appropriate time, monitor the mood and culture within the business and quickly address the issues – do not let it fester.
The Time (Making) Machine
- Plan for absolute chaos, nirvana, or anything in between. We all know what we need to do to deliver our responsibilities – it’s in our plan. But yet, when it comes to actual implementation, there are many excuses and diversions that get in the way. Don’t let it happen. Plan the chaos into your day but also plan the things that must get done – in detail. Don’t sell yourself short, allow sufficient funds and resources to deliver the plan. And don’t set yourself up for failure by the self labelled “aggressive” other half of your brain or superiors that hand you impossible goals. Most importantly, don’t isolate yourself from the world. Many time-management gurus will tell you to ignore emails, network meetings, seminars, exhibitions, open door policy and the like. Yes, in some instances, they can be time-wasters but they can also be doorways to team building, new products and services, new markets, suppliers, etc. – all potential seeds of innovation and improvement. And if there is one thing above all else that is required in Australian industry, it is innovation. Stuck within the confines of your business is not the best way to make this happen.
- Focus and Discipline – until it hurts. Focus, focus and focus some more until it hurts. Park the diversions to one side to be dealt with at a later planned time. Now is the time to focus – it could be listening, it could be brainstorming about the next new ideas. Get in the zone and listen to every word spoken, absorb every written sentence, and engage all the senses and the brain solely to the task at hand. You’ll find this results in quality thought, answers and an overall very productive use of time. It takes constant discipline and practice but the outcome is worth the effort.
- Trust, Delegate, Outsource – let go! This is one of the best skills you can master – to learn how to trust and delegate. For those set in their ways, always hands-on and not prepared to let go, this is not an easy task, but a necessary one if they wish to manage and grow the business. Your subordinates may complain that their day is full – fact or fiction, it is an area that requires careful management. An underutilised strategy is the use of external resources that an overloaded business can easily tap into, as and when required. An external experienced organisation that will quickly attain the full confidence and trust of the team can be a valuable part of your contingency plan.
- Simplify and Systemise and do yourself out of job. Simplify and as much as possible, auto-pilot tasks, processes and other functions. Constantly innovate, develop and implement work processes with the clear objective of simplification with greater effectiveness. This could mean to eliminate a lot of cumbersome policies and procedures. Conversely, as is the case with a lot of SMEs, the work is more time consuming because there are no formal policies or procedures. In these instances, the SME survives day-to-day purely on the self-developed “in-the-head” routines of the individual employees. A lot of time can be freed up with the introduction of innovative and simple systems, which are continuously monitored and improved.
Every Tariq, Debbie & Hari – The Unique Australian Advantage
- Import and Export Opportunities: Migrants bring with them, unique knowledge, external relationships and recommendations. The unique overseas-based supplier hidden from google, a potential agent or distributor for your business’s product back in the mother country – a sample of the opportunities that may open up. The new employee’s ability to understand first-hand the customs and converse fluently is a massive boost to the business keen explore import/export opportunities with their country of origin. Consider the 3-week long Asian Cup football tournament played in Australia throughout January. Take note of the strong local supporter base of what many would consider “obscure” countries such as Uzbekistan, Qatar, Oman and others such as Iran, Iraq, UAE, etc. The local Chinese supporters at the Australia v China quarter-final played in Brisbane was many thousands strong with a record breaking 27 million TV viewers back in China. Due to their commitment to Australia and strong ties to their country of origin, a strong local migrant presence will help to strengthen brand Australia. The local businesses that understand and tap into this will benefit.
- Diverse and Innovative Thinking: It is common knowledge that the more inputs, as wild and wacky they might seem at first, the greater the chance of the next big idea for your business. Therefore, it makes sense, that if you add cultural diversity into this mix, the quantity and quality of ideas will only increase. If you want to tap into the wants, needs and mindset of the large Indian market, who better to have in your focus group, than an employee with a strong Indian heritage.
- The World Socialising Locally: Every employer knows that adding a social element to the routine of work helps with employee morale, overall wellbeing and teamwork. If encouraged and managed well, employees from many backgrounds add diversity to the normal work routine – the commonality of work is positively influenced by the different unique experiences of the employees. A workgroup consisting of employees with the same background could end up very one-dimensional with little to no unique experiences to add to the group. The movement “Taste of Harmony” builds on this idea of diversity within the workplace – www.tasteofharmony.org.au . Having a monthly sporting event which communicates at all levels across all nationalities, such as football (aka soccer) helps to convert employee cultural diversity into great teamwork.
Creativity of Christmas
So what is it about this time of year, that amidst the angst and stresses of gift and food shopping, preparing meals, that there is so much positivity. Is it the religious meaning - a new life? Is it the long uninterrupted time that you can spend with your loved ones? Is it that the mind is not fragmented in many different directions, but emptied and able to roam free, not bound by any office hour constraints with the stressful commute, endless meetings, reports and deadlines. This is probably one time you shouldn’t ask why, but just unchain the mind, let the negatives slip by, forgive, reconnect, connect and allow goodwill to take over. It makes us all better people.
Best wishes for a safe and beautiful Christmas and a prosperous, enjoyable 2015.
Lead by Example? Don’t Follow the Leaders !
Politicians are constantly referred to as leaders – the Prime Minister, senior ministers, the Leader of the Opposition and others with the substantial authority of representing and leading us, the Australian people. They may be referred to as leaders but do the majority truly do justice to the great discipline of leadership? Do they conduct themselves in a manner that befits a leader? As my alien friends found out – not very well.
- Integrity & Genuineness: With our political class, broken promises abound. It seems that this is a mandatory inclusion in their Position Guides – make promises to get elected and then go ahead and feel free to break them without any need whatsoever to explain why you had to go back on your word. It is probably the biggest issue when it comes to the trust status of our most recent federal governments. There seems to be no motivation or desire to own up to an error of judgement and the reasons for the change in strategy.
- Great Role Models: Snouts in the trough is a well-worn cliché when a conversation turns to politics. “Do as I say and not as I do” is a fallible human condition which is repeated daily in most areas of endeavour. However, with nth degree attention from the media and the public seniority of the role, you’d think a politician would be a little more guarded to ensure they do not stray too far off the righteous path. It seems the temptations are stronger than the leader.
- Professional & Respectful: Really? Listen to any parliament sitting or even some media interviews and watch our alien friend’s hairs stand on end when politicians attack each other with the fervour of 1970’s school yard bullies. Vile interjections are common place. Even racial and sexual innuendos seem to pass as acceptable. Politicians introduced strict laws against bullying and harassing conduct – yet it seems, this only applies to other workplaces the rest of us work in. Words do matter, no matter what the context or the environment. And the constant negative trashing of ideas, policies and suggestions between the political parties is abhorrent. In business, as a mark of professionalism and respect, a golden rule is not to trash your competition. No such rule with our political leaders.
- Communicate the Vision: As a leader, you explain in clear and concise language where the business is heading, the vision and the plan to get there. You seek to get buy in so everyone is pulling in the same direction. Very little of that with our current crop of political leaders. Their verbal fluency is good but that alone is useless. Their lack of explanation of their vision and strategy is more a case of avoiding scrutiny by revealing as little as possible and hoping no one will notice, including the opposition, the media and the rest of Australia – the people they lead.
We All Need Precogs
- Always Believe: Believe there is a better idea, better product, better process or system. The world is littered with skeptics, left behind by proactive innovators. Think IBM & PC; Kodak & Digital; Nokia & Smartphones; etc.
- Identify the Industry Trends: Polish the crystal ball and closely consider – a must of any good business plan. What are the trends and opportunities – now, 5, 10, 20 years from now? What opportunities do the trends of Climate Change, Social Media, Time Poor Society, Technical Labour Shortage, provide for your business. List them all, whether you believe at this point it will be a minor or major impact it doesn’t matter – it suffices to list out the trends and let them trigger any ideas for new products, services, methods, etc.
- Continually Ask Questions: What if? Why not? What’s the upside/downside? This questioning opens up the channels of ideas and challenges the questioner’s and recipient’s set thinking patterns.
- Seek & Encourage Feedback – Anything and Everything: Pack your emotions away and put on your thick-skinned rhino suit. Encourage feedback – employees, suppliers, customers, visitors, and the public – allow it to be done anonymously if possible. It’s important that it’s easy to do and definitely without fear of embarrassment, intimidation and hopefully in a way that the respondent will see it as beneficial and not a waste of time. The feedback will come in all shapes, sizes and colours – genuine, sarcastic, nuisance, etc. It will spike thoughts and generate ideas. The downside is that some providers will expect a response and, especially in large organisations, this can be a daunting task.
- Seek & Encourage Input on Ideas: A more formal focused approach on new ideas. It will most likely consist of a group of employees that represent certain areas of the business. Ideally, the representatives should be rotated to allow a sense of inclusion to all employees. The environment must be open, intimidation free and appreciative in order to encourage constructive contribution – in some instances, a work colleague may be best to lead the group rather than a senior manager but with the knowledge that the process has the full support of management. There should always be the option to provide the input confidentially. It’s important that return feedback is provided back to the participants.
- Make it a Routine: Whatever system you adopt to generate ideas, make it routine. Routines form habits and this is a must-have habit for a business wanting long-term success.
- Keep the List and Regularly Review: An old discarded idea which may not have suited the times may have its time at some point in the future. So don’t discard the list, instead regularly review for relevance and potential.
My Wicked Friend
What drives a CEO, manager or other “leader” to do this? Prepared to bypass and ignore the values and policies set by the company and proceed to turn a blind eye when it suits. Obviously, it’s a driven obsession on results and personal reward. They’re not going to let some “minor” lack of compliance to abstract values and cumbersome procedures get in the way. They believe they can get away it – after all, who’s the winner here? Everyone knows this does not define true leadership. But yet, we all know it happens and if we think long and hard about it, we’d also agree that at some point in time, it all comes home to roost with consequences.
Let’s make it quite clear, results and full accountability are all important, there is no argument there. The concern is the consequences of ignoring the values, policies and procedures. The impact of playing favorites. And consequences of little to no interrogation, analysis and true understanding on why the results are great or bad.
- It starts from the top. If the CEO and the senior management team wants to be taken seriously, it must have the fortitude and transparency to apply the values and policies – equally and unhitched to targets.
- Each manager must have sufficient knowledge and understanding of the layer immediately below their sub-ordinate manager. Whilst it’s fine in theory to lead and manage purely on results and “management by exception”, in practice, too much autonomy can lead to irreversible damage.
- Maintain the politeness, respect and balance at all levels, in all situations with all employees and only deal in facts and not the person. Maintain an amicable relationship.
Build Trust – The Secret to a Sustainable Business
- Time to Develop Relationships. Review carefully to fully understand the time it will take to develop the trust and relationships with potential clients in order to sustainably build the business. Include this in your planning. Relationships must be formed. Trust will help you do this. Allow sufficient time.
- Great Team of Disciples. Your team must believe and propagate trust in all areas of the business. Ensure this is a key criteria of the recruitment process – everything else follows from this core attribute.
- Integrate Trust. This should form part of your sales pitch. Let it be known that integrity and trust are key fundamentals of how you do business. Be prepared to follow through and ensure that these are not just words but actions that are integrated into every aspect of your business dealings.
- Expect Hesitation. Any new potential client will always be on guard – “once bitten, twice shy” is a saying which will ring true for most people. At first, the trust element will be quite low, if any at all. It could be due to a bad experience from a similar company to your own or just an innate trait of the individual you’re dealing with. Unfortunately, in most instances, this stone cold rejection or at best, hesitation, is reality. Work on the basis that all new contacts will start from a “no trust” level.
- Develop the Relationship. Communicate and demonstrate the trust, live it and ensure it is real and not just sales talk. Referrals, ongoing open communication, readily confronting issues, prompt responses, over-servicing are all initiatives which will help the client overcome the initial reluctance to deal with and trust your business.
- Readily Provide Goodwill. When the first problem occurs, do not automatically reach for the T&Cs, especially if the client does have some real gripes. Some issues are not black or white, so give benefit of the doubt to the client. Reassure that the issue will be resolved – the sooner you make this known, the greater the impact. Include this as part of your strategy and ensure the business cash flow allows for these costs. Rest assured, this investment in trust building will reap benefits in the medium to long term.
- Always Follow Up. Not only when you know there is good news but, most importantly, when you know there is bad news. This simple act of following up bad news may carry immediate pain in the form of stress and financial cost but it has the greatest impact on your client’s respect for your business and the obvious benefit on trust building. From a client’s perspective, the pain of the one-off problem is outlived by the memory of the ever-present support. Slow to act or worse, no action at all, may save immediate costs but will lose you a client and possibly many others who are within their circle of influence. Within a close knit industry, this can be a death sentence for your business.
- Be Selective. An important element of building trust as a key cornerstone of your business, is that it must propagate through all areas. This includes your clients, who are critical partners in what your business does and its objectives. Be selective. You cannot be a trust-based organisation if you’re partnering with people and organisations who work against this key value. Trusted clients are well known by other trusted companies, and by association, provides a great opportunity to build your client base.
How to Improve Productivity via Customised Training
- Disheartened employees who get frustrated due to the lack of knowledge and skills to do a specific function. Typically, they’ll be dismissed for poor performance or they just leave out of frustration. One of the most common reasons you’ll hear from a departing employee is that there was little to no training provided. Yes, it can also be a very convenient excuse and in many instances far removed from the real reason for the departure.
- Job tasks take longer, delivered with poor quality leading to customer complaints, large warranty costs and worse of all, lost customers.
- The employer is not an attraction to potential new recruits. A very common question asked at interviews is if specific training is provided. And in specialised industries, finding people with the right skill set is very difficult – customised training goes a long way to bridge the gap.
- Employees develop their own way of doing things, ignoring company policies and procedures which in turn cause a host of other issues.
- Customers need reassurance that their partner and supplier, your business, is continually providing proper training to its employees. Lack of training, perceived or real, could mean loss of contract and/or loss of a loyal customer.
- Identify the Subject Matter. What are the business issues? Issues specific to employees? They’re typically intertwined. Will a standard “generic” training package provided by an external provider adequately address the subject matter? Or is it too generic?
- Identify the Skills, Knowledge and Needs of Employees. What qualifications, skills and experience do they have? Are they all at the same level or does it vary greatly between employees? What are their learning objectives? Remember, a customised training package must be set to suit their current knowledge and skill set and meet their learning objectives.
- Identify the Needs of the Business. What does the business want out of this training? Retention of personnel? Improved delivery times? Improved quality? Less customer complaints? Be quite specific on what the learning objectives are – avoid being vague. It may mean that the subject matter may change from its original concept as defined in point 1. The final outcome is to improve productivity.
- Develop the Training Plan. Outline the specific topics you wish to address, in what order and their duration. These will be aligned with the needs of the business and the employees and presented in a manner which relates and is applied to the real world.
- Develop the Material. This requires the most work and it’s advisable to appoint a leader who seeks input from a number of people and collates the material.
- Align with the Business Systems. Another common failing of generic programs is they do not take into account the specific business policies, processes and procedures. To have maximum affect, the training must take into account the company’s business systems.
- Workshop Activity. Avoid the “I talk – you listen” classroom type environment and always look at integrated workshop activities to improve the learning experience. Provide an interactive environment and workshop the important elements. With a bit of lateral thinking, any subject matter can be configured into a workshop activity.
- Deliver the Training. You’ll need to set aside an appropriate time which suits the business and the trainees. Issues to consider include time of day in relation to alertness; avoiding interruptions; clearly outlined breaks; etc. The person who delivers the training must be capable of speaking in front of people and good at maintaining interest.
- Solicit feedback. This will help to refine the training for the next time whether it be a new group or a refresher course.
- Develop and Issue a Certificate. Acknowledge and recognise the employees' attendance for training on a specific subject matter.
- Refresher Training. Once you have developed the customised training package, it is advisable to undertake refresher training at set time intervals. This ensures that the individuals remain in sync with the learning objectives. It also provides additional feedback to further improve the training.
11 Ideas to Minimise the Impact of a Technical Skills Shortage.
Before we get into the "How?" its prudent to provide some reasoning for the "Why?". An experienced Chairman of a mid size organisation was heard retorting to a middle manager who used the lack of good technical people as an excuse for his lack of progress......"Have they all died?". The message was blunt but to the point. They existed last week, last month, last year so if they haven't died, where did they go? A good point but does not provide the answer to the "why?" nor does it help to provide a solution to the challenge.
Why? There is an increasing number of high school leavers keen to gain a university spot rather than take on a trade career - that seems to be the cool thing to do. An ABS report of 2012 states that in 1970, only 3% of Australian workers had a degree, whilst in 2001 it was 20% and 2011 it was approximately 28% and continuing to rise. The level of Australian workers with a trade or equivalent sat at around 33% between 2001 and 2011, and is projected to reduce or at best remain unchanged over the next few years. Add to this, the tendency to have the hands-on tradesperson wanting to migrate up into management - physically less demanding, prestige and a promise of more money - and the issue is exacerbated. To a manager, it means little to understand why but more importantly to understand "what" practical ideas he/she can implement to minimise the negative impact.
- Look after your people: This is obvious but unfortunately, too many times complacency sets in and it is too late to make amends when a resignation notice is presented. Keep abreast of the best pay rates in your industry. Consider incentives schemes such as bonuses, commissions. Improve work conditions. And always communicate and care.
- Provide a Career Path & New learning Opportunities: Talk to your employees about their aspirations and their 5 and 10 year goals. What do they enjoy? Many apprentices/trainees are impatient and want to learn all areas of their trade and industry as quickly as possible. Consider a rotation program through the different departments of your organisation. Consider a 3 to 6 month exchange program with your competitors, suppliers and clients.
- Develop your own: This is an investment in time and money and it takes 2-3 years before a business can say they're getting productivity out of the young apprentice, trainee or cadet engineer. However, it is one of the best ways to develop and retain your technical team.
- Recruit Wisely with Great Mentoring & Coaching: Cast the net out far and wide. Use all available methods; the online recruiting services (Seek, CareerOne, etc), social media, local and city newspapers, private apprenticeship organisations, School, TAFE & University Noticeboards, etc. Find the individuals who are ambitious, enthusiastic to learn and passionate about what they want to do. These traits will outweigh any experience, qualifications, age or gender. Then ensure a great mentoring program is in place to nurture and accelerate the learning - the individual will greatly appreciate it and full productivity will be achieved sooner rather than later. A win-win! And remember, older experienced tradespeople, engineers make great mentors.
- Present to Local schools & TAFE: Be proactive and visit and present at schools as part of career and information sessions. Present the organisation as a great employer and as experts in the field. Young minds, unsure of what they want to do may have a "light bulb" moment and see your company and the technical career as their future.
- Take on Work Experience students: Hands-on involvement at an early age will test the interest for the technical positions on offer and it will also give the company a great insight into the young person's enthusiasm and interest.
- Make It Attractive for Girls & Women: An area which is greatly overlooked is the potential for girls and women to enter the technical fields, an sector normally dominated by the male gender. If the interest is there, women bring other qualities (high emotional intelligence, empathy, social skills, etc) which are sadly lacking in many of the technical roles. Recent studies reveal that of the Top Global 500 organisations, only 5% have women CEOs and it is primarily due to their lack of operational/technical experience. A rare exception is Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors, an electrical engineer who worked her way up through many operational and technical roles - use her as an inspiration to young women to enter the technical field.
- 457 Visas: An option which opens up your search area outside of Australia. There are many countries where the specialised skill the business graves is in abundance. The downside to this option are the many immigration department hurdles, the cost and it is never a short turnaround. However, it does remain a very good option and if time is on your side, the cost and red tape is a small price to pay.
- Outsource: Relook at your business model. Can this skilled function be outsourced to another company which does have a good pool of technical people? You may find that when you add up the idle time (poor utilisation), the overhead costs and the frustration of finding suitable individuals, an outsourcing arrangement may allow you to put on a small margin and return a better bottom line.
- Inform & Train your Customer: Instead of providing the actual hands-on technical support, consider providing the training instead to train your client's employees to service/repair and maintain their own equipment. You may find the revenue from the training and spare parts is more lucrative. This idea could also be applied to alleviate the need for a field sales representative. Instead, redirect that cost towards providing very good literature on your website.
- Redesign the Product, Process or Service: Consider eliminating the requirement for this technical skill. On the face it, this seems counter-intuitive. Why do you want do away with a revenue stream, e.g. service and spare parts? If you cannot support your product or service, your clients will move on to another company. By redesigning and simplifying the process, product or service which does away with the complex technical support, you maintain and in most cases increase your revenues - this is true innovation and leadership in your field.
10 Ways a Specialist Management Consultant Adds Value to a Construction Project
- Improve Sub-contractor Delivery Performance: Via regular expediting audits on sub-contractors. This refers to regular visits by the Specialist Management Consultant (SMC) to the sub-contractor’s premises to see first-hand the progress of the work, including all the stages of purchasing, fabrication, powder coating and assembly. This process will confirm that the work is progressing as per the project plan and if not, to work out ways to get it back on track. Face-to-face representation provides greater urgency to the sub-contractor that the program is followed and any slippage is reported early, so action can be taken quickly to get it back on track. It also improves communication and eases some of the frustration and angst experienced between the main contractor (the builder/developer) and the sub-contractors. Too many times, the sub-contractor’s program is out of sync with the main contractor’s program and typically, this is realised too late, leading to rushed manufacture, air freight, defects, LDs, damages – these negatives become the theme of the relationship. Never a win-win for either party.
- Bigger Pool of Qualified Sub-Contractors: Identify alternative suppliers and sub-contractors. Good reliable sub-contractors and suppliers are difficult to find in any industry – strict WHS & E requirements, compliance to Australian Standards, licensing requirements, IR issues, project management capabilities, high $ value of contracts are some of the issues which make the Construction industry one of the most difficult. The experienced SMC offers a service to source, research, and evaluate potential sub-contractors and suppliers.
- Avoid Sub-Contractor Compliance Issues: Assisting a sub-contractor to comply with the Main Contractor’s requirements. Most main contractors have identified sub-contractors who manufacture and install a quality product however, have a number of shortfalls in their processes, licensing and contractual obligations. The SMC will assist the sub-contractor to come up to speed with the requirements of the main contractor. In this instance, the SMC may be commissioned directly by the sub-contractor or alternatively by the Main Contractor as an offset.
- Avoid PC delay due to Defects: On-site detailed QA inspections of installed systems. Typically, each sub-contractor must fulfil its contractual obligations by completing and issuing ITPs. Unfortunately, at times, these are rushed and key areas are overlooked. The SMC provides a service which undertakes a detailed review of the installation and therefore ensuring any poor workmanship is picked up early.
- Avoid Work Overload & WHSE Issues due to Poor Systems: Policies, Processes and Procedure development and documentation. There may be certain areas of a project or area of the business which lacks a business system or WHSE procedure. The SMC assists by working in with the relevant personnel to develop the most effective, efficient and safest processes and procedures, and then, document, communicate and train if required.
- Improve Performance & Retain Staff: Standard or Customised Training. The Main Contractor may not have the resources on hand to deliver a standard training module. There may also be a specific situation which requires specific training and a new customised training module developed and delivered. In either case, the SMC provides a training solution. NLogic has developed a Best Practice Project Management training & mentoring program to assist employees such as technicians, engineers (qualified and junior), tradespeople, etc who wish to move into this discipline or are in this position and require training or as a refresher course. One key benefit of this training and mentoring program is that it is specifically geared towards the construction industry. Where required, it is further tailored to suit the Main Contractor personnel’s skill level and business requirements.
- Promote Success via Technical Case Studies: Typically, this is an area normally handled by the marketing department - where one exists. However, from experience, marketing people typically lack the technical knowledge and the finer details of the project to allow them to put together an informative and technical presentation on a completed project or an interesting element of the project. Experience also tells us that, trying to tie down a Project Engineer or Project Manager to get the technical details together is also a near impossible mission. An example; there may be a unique technical development or methodology on a specific building which has been developed by the Main Contractor and is worth promoting through the many channels – brochures, magazines, internet, social media, etc. The SMC will take this on as a project, gathering the details and compiling the story.
- Avoid PC delay due to Poor Operations & Maintenance Manuals: Typically, these are supplied by the sub-contractor although in most instances, a “thorn in their side” and therefore poorly written with scant details on spares and maintenance requirements. There may areas of a project where the responsibility for the manual does not sit with any specific sub-contractor. In either case, the SMC will research and compile the system details, spare parts, technical and maintenance requirements and present copies in paper and electronic versions. Some SMCs (e.g. NLogic) have many years’ experience in developing and managing service divisions, therefore, fully understand the importance of comprehensive manuals containing troubleshooting charts and detailed service/maintenance regimes.
- Avoid PC delay due to Work Overload: Project Management Assistance. There may be instances where your project managers may need assistance on certain elements of a project. The SMC will take on specific elements of the project, such as Tender Reviews; Inspection & Reporting on Defect Rectification; etc.
- Get the Best People & Improve Productivity: Recruitment & Mentoring/Coaching program. This is a time consuming and often frustrating but yet very important responsibility. Large Main Contractor’s will typically have their own HR department. Either way, the experienced SMC will assist with the recruitment and importantly, the on-going mentoring/coaching – a critical step to help new employees reach full productivity in the shortest possible time.
I don't need to follow Procedures - Why the 3Ps are Important?
- CEO Support. The plan needs support from the highest management position that is the CEO, MD etc. Without that support this important management project will flounder and ultimately fail. It is worth noting that many key personnel need to make time to undertake a task they would rather not to. So it’s important that it receives and be seen to receive, continuous support from the top. Regular communication via email, newsletters is strongly recommended.
- Business Status. Understand where the business is now. Are there any Ps and if so are they documented or are they in employees’ heads and verbalised throughout the organisation? This understanding will help determine the size of the task and the steps involved. The following steps assumes that there are very few Ps documented and they're followed because they have been transferred through word of mouth.
- Project Leader. Nominate a leader to drive the initiative. Ideally, this should be someone from within the organisation in a senior management capacity, has the ability to grasp the technicalities of the business, an eye for detail and is organised. Another good option is to contract an external organisation with industry experience in this discipline who reports through to the CEO.
- Plan. Develop a plan complete with timeline and the required team to get the job done. The team should consist of personnel directly involved with the task or area which is subject to a 3P. In most instances, these people are frontline and key to the daily operation of the business. There is a good chance that these employees are not good at or in some cases, unwilling to transfer their task to words and onto a document. A resource from within or external to the organisation should be sought to help with extracting the important information and properly scripted to a document.
- Team Leadership. The leader clearly communicates the plan and timeline to the team and regularly stresses its importance. Meet once a month to ensure satisfactory progress as per the commitments and timeline.
- Policy Development. Policies are generally the realm of senior management, typically, the CEO, MD or GM. However, the CEO can seek advice from others with knowledge in the relevant business area or discipline and request they draft a policy. The CEO will review, refine as required and then sign off on the policy and organise it to be communicated to all employees and where required to customers and the public. Processes and procedures normally flow down from policies so they generally come first.
- Processes. Due to the quantity and variable nature of the inputs, the more complex processes will generally have a team involvement. In this case it is best to flowchart the process and either add notes on the flowchart or have an additional document which describes the steps in words. This detailed analysis of the process will reveal ideas on how to improve the process - a major benefit of this exercise.
- Procedures. Ideally undertaken by the actual person doing the task however, due to workload and capability, this is not always possible. It should always be complied with a thorough understanding of what the task is and what it is meant to achieve. In many instances, thinking about the steps involved raises questions and concerns about why it is done a certain way, which in turn seeds ideas for improvement. An outsider’s perspective will also throw different ideas on how to improve the task - again, a major benefit of the 3Ps.
- Communication & Accessibility. The 3Ps must be communicated and easily accessible by all employees. Easy accessibility cannot be overstressed. If they are not accessible there is a temptation not to bother and rely too heavily on memory or what feels right. In a typical organisation, a combination of electronic and hard copy is typically the best method to ensure accessibility. However, as stated above, it does depend on the type of business and how it functions.
- Training. It’s very important that all relevant personnel understand the 3Ps. This is especially important for new employees however, a regular refresher training is recommended every 6 to 12 months.
- Continuous Business Improvement. Due to growth, downsizing, introduction of new product or service and other factors most businesses undergo change. This means the 3Ps must also be regularly reviewed for relevance. As part of continuous business improvement, new policies, processes or procedures may need to be added.
- Audits and Measure. A measurement system should be put in place which records and provides feedback on how the 3Ps are working. This system will measure and report on compliance to the 3Ps, business improvement as a result of the 3Ps, what are the productivity gains, employee satisfaction level, etc.
- It never stops. Ensure a culture of ownership on continuous business improvement and the entire 3P system.
The Overloaded Manager - the future is at stake! What to do?
- Complete a well thought-out business plan. This will flush out the important management projects.
- Regularly review the business plan for relevance. Add or deduct from the list of management projects. Some may need changing.
- As part of the business planning process, identify a timeline and responsibility team for completion of each of these projects.
- Understand where you and the team's key strengths sit in the organisation. Are you a planner/strategist or more hands-on day-to-day type of manager?
- Understand what the real world is like. It will have emergencies and other day-to-day interruptions. Can the unplanned be planned into the timeline?
- Plan the necessary resources. Delegate? Additional full-time or part-time employees? Outsource to an external organisation? The budget and overall financial constraints of the business are key elements to also consider. The cost benefit analysis must consider a long term outlook and not only a short term view.
- Experience indicates that sole reliance on delegation (i.e. use of existing internal resources) typically means delays, lack of focus, shortcuts, that is, a slow painful death to the project. Additional and dedicated resources is the most successful that is, via direct employees or outsourcing to an external specialist organisation.
- If you go down the additional employee(s) route, ensure you identify the responsibilities of the role(s) and carefully recruit the talent to match. This takes time. The budget must support the additional employee(s) and for the long term, they must be fully productivity in their assigned roles.
- The advantage of the external specialist are many. They will come in and understand your business, gain your trust and be ready to work with you as and when required. They then become your "go to" management resource when the workload demands it, turning them on and off as required.
- Select the external resource wisely. They need to have the industry experience and technical capacity to understand your company and what it does. The one size fits all approach will not work. You must have absolute trust in their ability and service levels.
Best Practice Recruitment – an Experienced Manager’s Perspective
- Understand the role and availability of suitable individuals
- Understand the Business’s Short & Long Term Plans
- Develop or Update the Position Guide
- Develop an Analysis Matrix
- Develop a List of Interview Questions
- Consider People from Within the Organisation
- Consider Your Network
- Recruit a Recruiter
- Employer Does its Own Recruiting
- 1st Cut
- 1st Interview - Phone
- 2nd + Other Interviews – in Person
- Psychometrics Testing & Personality Appraisals
- Analysis
- References
- Decide
- Mentor, Coach & Train