Meagan is in the business of disposing commercial environmental waste. As you can imagine, her company is flourishing with the expanding need for her services. Her major challenge is staffing. Currently, one man is on military reserve duty, and her most knowledgeable technician is retiring next month.
Meagan reported that she has effectively expanded her delivery capacity because of her staff. She said that her team stepped up to the challenge. Most specifically:
- They held check-in meetings twice a week to ensure that they were on the same page about assignments.
- They did the things that needed to be done to serve the clients without being asked.
When I asked Meagan what caused the staff to become so motivated, she could not be specific. It brought to mind that we can be very clear about what is not working in our businesses. Sometimes it is more challenging to be clear about what is working when our operations are working successfully.
Sometimes you need someone to ask you questions that cause you to remember all the positive things that are contributing to staff success.
In a thoughtful conversation, Megan found what was working. She said – the team was clear about why they were doing what they were doing for their customers, their company, and for themselves as a team. They knew the value of proper disposal of environmental waste. They were clear on the impact that their work was having for their customers and for the environment as well.
Megan’s team had created a culture for success. They knew each other, liked each other, trusted each other, and were willing to go beyond their regular job to make an impact.
Megan then talked about impact of their everyday activities. The team had turned important, and sometimes dangerous activities, into a bit of a game. They rewarded the team members that came up with the most effective solutions to complex disposal problems. Rewards could include fist bumps, or a free ride to the monthly pizza party.
Megan went on to list a variety of specific actions that team members took to make their organization a success. As I listened to her story, everything they did was based on the foundation of their company values, and their mission to serve their customers. “” Megan connected the dots between what was important to their customers and the work of each team member.”” Throughout this entire process Megan’s team made their important, sometimes dangerous activities, …fun.
QUESTION
Who could you speak with who could ask you questions that would cause you to capture what is working within your organization?
Chuck Scharenberg is the Founder of More Profit More Freedom, a consultancy that supports the execution of large-scale growth for small businesses. His practice has successfully grown businesses with processes that identify potential roadblocks and mitigation schemes to accelerate realistic execution.