Resources
June 2003
We are talking about T.R.U.E. teambuilding. Last month, we explored “T” for trust; this month we move on to Resources.
No person or team can do their job without the proper tools. Tools fall in a variety of categories: Equipment, time, and training all play their part in success.
Do you have the right people assigned to particular tasks? If Sally is a numbers whiz, don’t have her scheduling meetings just because she is an administrative assistant, when she should be dueling the budget shortfall. This may sound obvious, but one of the most common business mistakes I see is people being utilized improperly. Their skills and strengths should be taken into account whenever possible.
One of my favorite hiring stories illustrates this: I worked very hard to determine exactly what, who and how the group was hiring. They were essentially looking for a copy room production coordinator. We did it all right – polled the persons who would be served by this position, polled co-workers about the qualities they would want to have working with them in the workgroup, and involved as many people as possible and appropriate in the various aspects of the hire. We interviewed four candidates, and made a decision.
I came in the next morning, and was preparing the e-mail to announce the new hire. Name, background, responsibilities, and an invitation to stop by and say hello – you know the kind. I went to the hiring official to check one small fact. “WAIT! Stop,” she hollered. We aren’t hiring Joe.”
“What?” I was confused. We had all left the office late the night before after unanimously selecting Joe. I was sure I remembered the cheers when we’d finished! (I might add that this was not a group that came to decisions easily.)
“Well, we got to talking after you left,” she said. “Skip asked where we were putting the new hire, and that’s when we realized that this person would be sitting in the office outside of Anne’s. Since they’d be right there, we thought it would be good to have an accountant, since Anne is responsible for the accounting department. So we decided to hire the last-place candidate, because he did a little bit of bookkeeping in his last job.”
To say that I was surprised is a bit of an understatement. Hiring someone based on where they will be sitting was not an approach I had ever thought of. Nor is it one I would recommend. To the best of your ability, match skills with people. Not where they are sitting, or what their technical job description is, or whether there is a window in the office or not, but where their talents lie. I’m not suggesting that you ask people to do only what they are already good at, but I am suggesting that you try to utilize their strengths to your and the organization’s benefit. Everyone wins when you do. Another benefit is that when you are playing to people’s strong side, they are usually more willing to address their weaker sides. More winning for all – and what’s not to like about that? Successful people know how to get the most from any situation, and that’s what you’re doing when you match talent to need.
You also need to make sure that people have the proper equipment to do their jobs. This might mean hardware, software, trucks, pens, pencils. Whatever. Find ways to provide these tools. You may have to get creative when it comes to big-dollar items, but if it is really needed to do the job more effectively, try to find a way. You can’t dig a ditch with a spoon. Well, you can, but it will sure take a long time. What you don’t pay for in equipment, you will spend in time.
Which brings us to time. We must have the time available to do tasks properly. None of us do well when we don’t have enough time to perform a task. In today’s world, we usually don’t, which frequently leads to complications and crises. We’ve all heard the maxim, “There’s never enough time to do it right, but always enough time to do it over.” Don’t fall into this trap. Make the time to do it right, up front.
At times this will seem impossible. “But I just don’t have the time, Ramona,” you may moan. Now is when you need to take a moment to reflect on the last ugly mess you had to mop up and make time for. Remember how bad it got? Remember how you really didn’t have the time for that? Remember how you swore at yourself for letting it get that far? Remember how you promised yourself you would never let this happen again?
Now, how would you like to make the ten minutes or hour or day available to do this one right? Think about how fabulous it will be to NOT get that phone call at eleven p.m. on a Friday night saying the sewer line broke and is backing up in people’s living rooms and it’s all your fault. Take the time to do it right the first time – it always pays off.
Training. It’s hard to benefit from the proper equipment if you don’t know how to use it. Make sure that training is well-timed, appropriate, and that there are opportunities to practice new skills once training is complete. Remember, you must use it, else you lose it! Don’t pay for training and then let the person forget it all. That’s not smart for either of you.
If you give your staff the proper tools, training, and time, you are building an effective base for teamwork. And that’s good business.
Ramona Abbott helps businesses maximize their efficiency, effectiveness and group dynamics. She utilizes proven techniques that are fun and affordable to help you improve your workplace in a variety of ways. She welcomes inquiries at 360-398-2606 or ramona@EssentiallyProfessional.com
(c)2003 Essentially Professional Website Design: Dedicated Designs