Adding Value To Your Organization
 By Rick Dacri, Dacri & Associates
Many managers have distinguished themselves by tightly managing
their operations, focusing heavily on building in operational
efficiencies, while always maintaining a close watch on their
budgets. Often they will do whatever it takes to keep costs down
while maintaining good service to their customers. And isn’t
that what they are hired to do?
While cutting costs and focusing on the bottom line is
important, it may not be the best way to create long-term value
for your organization. Innovation and improved performance don’t
happen by accident. It requires investment and managers who are
always focused on reinvesting in their organization.
Good managers identify problems and then solve them. If there is
a defect, they fix it. If there is a deviation, they right it.
While this is essential, it merely maintains the status quo and
frankly, in an ever-changing environment, those who stand still,
fall behind.
Great leaders are always looking around the corner, identifying
emerging trends and potential opportunities, and then are
seeking ways to taken advantage of these for the betterment of
the business. They are raising the bar—driving the performance
of their organization and their people to the next level.
Leaders zero in on activities that create real value for the
organization by investing in those things that add value—whether
it’s people, systems or equipment. While systems and equipment
are important, we must first focus on people. Without people, we
have no operations. Yet recently, I spoke with a manager who
strongly believed her job was to vigilantly search for ways to
cut costs—a task for which she was very adept. Unfortunately,
her good work has resulted in an organization that struggles to
recruit and retain people, and the employees she has are
unprepared for the challenges of the 21st century.
So where should you make your investments. Here are four
areas:
| 1. |
Develop your talent through continuous training and development. Job
specific training and interpersonal skills training are essential in a
world experiencing rapid changes that require people to work in a
collaborative team environment. |
| 2. |
Pay and treat your people well. If you want the best and the
brightest, you have to treat them as such. |
| 3. |
Invest in performance management systems. Employees must be focused
on the things that are important to the business. |
| 4. |
Invest in recruitment initiatives. Placing ads simply does not work.
Creative, “outside the box” approaches must be developed. |
By investing in your people, you will get better performance and
increased employee capability. Trained employees develop better
insights and make smarter decisions. And finally, the quantity
and quality of your recruits will improve resulting in employees
who can make an immediate contribution.
The best managers are taking control of their operations. They
are focusing on opportunities to create real value by investing
in their people.
Rick Dacri is an organizational development
consultant, coach and featured speaker at regional and national conferences.
Since 1995 his firm, Dacri & Associates has focused on improving the performance
of individuals and organizations. Rick can be reached at 1-800-892-9828,
or
rick@dacri.com |
