Creating a Strong Team

I once hired a friend…and I had to fire a friend.  Not pretty. You live and you learn. I made, what I now know to be, crucial mistakes:

I hired a friend. Okay, not necessarily. But, if you do hire a friend/family member, don’t fool yourself into believing that everyone (or anyone?) can separate business and friendship. 

I hired someone with no experience. Enough said.

I hired someone I had doubts about. This is crucial. Don’t fill a position – ever – unless you believe they will succeed. I wanted to believe that my friend could handle the pace, workload and details of my growing business…but I had my doubts. In the end, she was beyond overwhelmed, and I had betrayed my own gut instinct. Everyone felt like a failure. 

I jeopardized my work atmosphere. As things went south with my friend, and tensions rose in the office, my whole staff was miserable. Coming to work felt like a chore. Major mistake.

That’s what didn’t work. What does?

Create a Strong Team. I maintain a highly positive environment at IMD. A potential employee can look great on paper – great education, top-notch quality of work – but if they can’t take a joke, or tell a joke, they don’t belong in my office. (We break into occasional dance around here…) 

Know Your Team Members. There’s a huge difference between a bad employee, and an employee having a bad time. Touch base, continuously. I’ve lent many a’ listening ear, shoulder to ease a burden – and my team is close because of that. I’m never too busy to touch base.

Let Them Thrive. I absolutely love what I do, and I only surround myself with people who feel the same. Know where your employees will succeed. Let salespeople sell, writers write and organizers organize. If they love what they do, they’ll want to work. 

Bottom Line: Creating a Strong Team – with people who are passionate about their work – is an essential element of any truly successful business, and definitely a Kick-Ass one! Did reading this make you feel like patting yourself on the back, or hiding in your closet? Are you an asset to your team?

Are Your Employees Really Happy?

Point to Ponder: Your employees are walking, talking billboards for your company – the good, the bad (the ugly).  

I discovered this truth during an uncomfortable conversation with an employee (who works for a company I whole-heartedly love) as she systematically pointed out why working for that company wasn’t that great… Now, imagine this disgruntled employee yapping into the ears of fellow employees at the company picnic, or having a glass of wine and spewing her unhappiness with your company to anyone who will listen!

Look, if employees don’t give a crap about their job, or feel that their employer doesn’t give a crap about them – expect crappy results. I firmly believe that employees cannot put in 110% if they don’t love what they do. At IMD, I consistently have employees say, “I love my job! Thank You!” 

I’m not bragging. I work hard to ensure their happiness.

How do you keep your employees happy? 

Care. Whether you oversee 1 employee or 100,000 or more, look your employees in the eye. Ask about their weekend, their kids or families. You have NO company without them.

Communicate. I tell my employees never to be afraid to talk with me, and I mean it. Whether they need time off or an ear to listen, I find time to communicate. My employees know this.

Recognize. Happy employees will go above and beyond, take ownership of their tasks and feel pride in completing them to the best of their abilities. Never miss an opportunity to recognize a “job well-done”.

Bottom Line: Your company invests in effective advertising. Think of your employees as walking, talking billboards for your company. How’s your advertising campaign going?

Forecast: Sunny With A Chance of Low Moral

Be honest. We all have those days.

Maybe the weather is especially wonderful, or the beach just beckons louder for some reason, or visitors are in town…

Who wants to be at work on those days?? 

I’m no different than any other employee. A day at the office sometimes pales in comparison to outside. I, too, crave long weekends, barbeques, vacations…I’m sorry. Was I saying something? My mind wandered off to the beach where my friends are at, and I’m here at work.

What can you do to keep morale above “sigh”? Show your employees that you respect their work-life balance, and soften the blow of those workdays.

Flexible Scheduling. Is telecommuting is an option? What about working four 10-hour shifts for Fridays off? Perhaps a long evening or two, with a half-day Friday option? 

Offer Rejuvenation. Any employee will beam upon hearing, “You’ve worked hard all week. Why don’t you head out at 3:00 today?” An extra jump on that “long weekend” (and a bit of gratitude for it) reminds employees why they enjoy working for you in the first place. 

Up the Fun Ante. Company picnics, longer lunch breaks, casual Fridays. These are cliché for a reason. Fridays in jeans are somehow less painful, a tasteful company picnic does promote pride in one’s company, an impromptu meeting at a coffee house is better than the old board room for a change. 

Bottom Line: Your employees have gardens, and children and actual lives outside of work! They’ve shown up rather than playing hooky. Recognize this when you can. Are you afraid to let a little fun in, or do you consider fun part of functional in your office?

This Deal is Done.

Have you ever worked with a client that was sucking the life out of you? 

IMD is all for going the extra mile to ensure client satisfaction – even the cranky ones. Kill them with kindness, sure. But not to the point that it is killing you.

A quick story: I was in the thick of it, designing a website. This difficult client presented ever-changing visions, 20-item daily re-do needs and absolutely unrealistic expectations regarding timeframe. I was working like crazy (far over my proposed hours), losing money and completely unhappy. This business relationship needed to end. I sent them a letter, tactfully referred them elsewhere and offered them a full refund. 

You know this one, right? You can’t please everyone, but you’ve got to please yourself.

It’s never an easy decision, but it may be time to cut ties if: 

You and your client are continuously butting heads

You are unable to come to agreements, large and small

There is little or no compromise 

Your client is not taking your professional advice

You are miserable, and see no way to ensure satisfaction

If you’ve done everything you can, yet no one is satisfied – refer the client with professionalism to others that provide your service, end the relationship and save your sanity. 

Bottom Line: Sometimes the only way to deal with a difficult client is to declare: This Deal is Done. 

*By the way, the above-mentioned difficult client… contacted IMD six months later. After trying two other companies – with no success – they had to reexamine their expectations and tactfulness. IMD took the project back on, and blew them away with their amazing website! 

We’re Spending How Much?!

Okay, so you’ve been with this vendor for years. But are you still getting the best price? When was the last time you checked? IMD is all for building relationships with vendors, but at the end of the day – loyalty lies first and foremost with the client. 

Assess Your Spending:

Don’t Be Lax.  There’s a familiarity and comfort with using the same vendor year after year. But a small increase here, a slight change there over the years…adds up. Absorbing cost increases in any area directly affects the prices you can offer clients. Don’t be lax about getting the best cost.

Get A Quote. Check around, and guarantee that you are receiving the best cost. New businesses open, costs fluctuate. Can you get the same, or better, results for less? Getting alternative quotes will either: Give you peace of mind that you are in the right ballpark, or alert you that it’s time to make some changes. 

Tell It Like It Is. Be upfront with vendors that you do regularly check around, and that you will go elsewhere to protect your clients’ best cost.
It’s not rude – it’s business competency. A vendor will think twice about trying to pull the wool over your eyes when they know your company
shops around.

Question Why. New year, new rates – I love that one. Why? Should a new year be an automatic chance to hike up prices? No one has to raise rates – it’s a company choice. Question the validity, and don’t simply accept price hikes. 

Bottom Line: Getting the best cost is crucial. The end result is money saved that relays directly back to your client. Loyalty lies first and foremost with the client. IMD.

BONUS: Resolutions and Solutions

Tip: Plan to re-read this at the beginning of each New Year for greater success. 

The most straightforward and strategic resolution a business can make –
a resolution that will create solutions – is this: Plan. 

Plan Not to Fail. Be leery of resolutions that lend themselves to failure.
“I will triple my profits in the first quarter.” When you don’t – it’s over. Fail. Nothing has been accomplished. Plan achievable goals, and utilize them as stepping stones to conquering larger ones. “I will increase profits in the first quarter, and apply the profits to our marketing campaign which will…”

Plan Monthly. New Year’s goals aren’t all executed in January – it’s a new year. Plan goals for each month, and plan deadlines to accomplish each goal. For example, July goals for IMD include Christmas preparations. Company travel, including accommodations, conferences booked throughout the year…all planned in November/December of the previous year.

Plan Cumulatively. January’s plan to Get More Organized should ready February’s Launch Marketing Campaign leading into March’s goal to
Attain 20 New Clients, etc. Build well-planned months into a year of
well-planned successes.

Plan IMD. I work with clients who find the above-mentioned nearly impossible, or can’t find the time to do so. Yet, flailing mid-year is never their intended plan. A recent client came to IMD – they had lost their company vision, and didn’t know which direction to take. A free business consultation later, and this company has a plan: Strategic monthly goals, a revised website in the works and a clear path. Kick-Ass! IMD is in the business of designing details, and propelling companies. Plan on it.

Bottom Line: Make a resolution that will create solutions. Plan. For Success. Will you please email me your weekly, monthly, yearly, and five-year plans by the end of each January? Okay. Don’t. But you get the point. Plan. For Success. IMD.