I’m asked many times how does one survive the ups and downs of business today. My answer is simple. People, Goals and a Green Light.
A business cannot prosper without the buzz of PEOPLE. That buzz generates ideas, solutions, emotional support and very importantly, the product. This buzz can also generate fear, conflict and unfortunately, bad product. As a manager who has always enjoyed the buzz, I remember the many wonderful experiences in coaching employees through problems, whether it would be personal or work related. The time that a manager takes to help employees through their life problems pays off well for employers. Emotional intelligence keeps that buzz of the People strong!
GOALS are critical to the focus of the company and team. If the goals are not set by the owner annually, communicated effectively and tracked weekly, the team will begin to generate fear, conflict and unfortunately, bad product. I’ve worked in environments where the goals were kept in the owner’s head and this is unfortunate for the growth of the company. In companies that I have managed I was able to test the transparency of communicating to the workforce and asking for their participation in tracking. What a positive difference Executive, department Goal setting and employee empowered tracking can make in a company!
Lastly, as we commute to and from work each day, we recognize that the green traffic lights give us permission to move forward. In the workplace today, it is very difficult to find those GREEN LIGHTS. We have many red tape situations, especially in the corporate world and this will also generate negative emotions, fear, conflict and unfortunately the delay of red tape can cause bad product. I remember working in the private sector being able to solve problems with the help of a few people and how I loved being able to keep that flow moving. Moving to a corporate setting changed life for me almost making it feel like I was fighting City Hall everyday leaving me frustrated and that frustration and negativity passed along to others unfortunately. Today, as an Entrepreneur, I am thankful for all the wonderful experiences I’ve had over the past 30 years working in business and am extremely happy to say that I use People, Goals and a Green Light as a daily reminder of how much easier life can be if we bring it back to these three things. People just want permission move forward and it’s important to give them that Green Light!