How to successfully manage your employees

Hire wisely
Most businesses hire bodies for particular jobs rather than people to help build a future. Your business is only as good as each individual employee’s contribution to its functioning. Therefore, look for the three I’s when you hire: intelligence, initiative and integrity.
For every position, from receptionist to packing clerk, hire only the best you can find. Conversely, if you have current employees who are not performing well, consider whether they are a wise investment of your money.

Build a team, not your ego
Many employers let their egos dominate their interactions with their employees. Stop the pattern. Instead, trust your employees to do their jobs. Make each employees feel that they are an invaluable member of the company team.
Let each employee know they are an integral parts of the company’s end product. Set the example for positive interaction at all times between members of the team even when ideas or performance must be corrected.

Reward well
When you get good employees, reward them financially and emotionally. Be sure their pay is at least market rate. Take time often to acknowledge each employee’s contribution. The two biggest loyalty builders are two simple words- thank you.

Be hands on
Know each employee’s job and how to do it. This not only gives you an automatic reserve employee and trainer (yourself), but has an added bonus. If you show an employee that you are willing to learn his job, you are communicating that you believe their work is worthwhile and valuable.

Make your employees versatile
In a small company, every employee should know how to do at least two jobs, particularly on the technical and service sides. For critical tasks, at least three employees should know how to do each job. Thus, you always have an on-the –premises reserve who can step in when needed.

Give away tasks but not ultimate leadership
What is it you do best? Are you the ideal man, the best salesman in your company, the organizer? Find your best talent and then delegate all other tasks to your employees. Train them appropriately to do their job, let them know you have confidence in their ability to perform well, and then let them do their jobs.
Adding responsibility with confidence will increase your employee’s willingness to work and their pride in the company’s end result .At the same time, you must maintain ultimate leadership. In any well run ship, the captain makes final decisions and you are still the captain, albeit a benign one.

Communicate
You must talk with your employees, solicit their suggestions and positively correct their mistakes. Conversely, you must create an atmosphere where employees are willing and able to talk with you. The two best sources of information on how your business is doing and how to improve it are employees and your customers. Pay attention to both.

Give your best and encourage the same in your employees
Pride in the company and its product or service always begins at the top. If you give a half effort or let a sloppily produced product to go out the door to a client, you are sending a message to your employees that you do not respect your clients or your work.
Your employees will adopt that view as well. If you set the example of giving the extra effort, pitching in when needed, caring about your fellow team members, working as a unit to be the best in your particular business, and taking care of the bottom line, your employees worth having and keeping will follow suit.

Encourage innovation and creation
Give your employees a stake in the future. Once a month, have a meeting where the employees make suggestions on how to improve your product, service, efficiency, or bottom line. Give positive encouragement for the process.

Have a second in command
No general goes into battle without a major who can take over if he is felled by a bullet. You are your business’ general and must act accordingly. Find someone you trust within your company who has the same goals ideals and a similar business style. Train him/her appropriately. Let others know he/she has your confidence and authority when you are gone.

CAN I KNOW YOU ?

By Deolu Akinyemi

I decided to dust up one of my audios yesterday, and I’ve been listening to it since then. It’s an audio by Harvey Mackay, and it’s about building powerful networking relationships. Contrary to popular opinion, it’s an area where I believe I have serious room for improvement. Peter Drucker once said - “More business decisions occur over lunch and dinner than at any other time, yet no MBA courses are given on the subject”. Since there is no course or formal training on networking, it’s knowledge we must all invest in getting, and a life course we must all sit… and before this sounds like mere education, please know sincerely that I am building my network, and I’ll like to get to know YOU better.
If you are thinking, I’m an employee, what do I need to network and build powerful relationships for? Well, be sure that you will not be an employee for life, even if you want to be. The age of collecting 35yrs service award golden wristwatch is far gone, and even if you have that temperament, you’ll have to retire someday - Either to read newspapers and earn passive income, or to engage in one hobby or the other, either way, you’ll still need people, so why not start building those relationships now.
Harvey Mackay talked about a one day course he attended in UCLA - 77 Reasons why you should fly first class. As much as it sounded interesting and funny to me, I could identify with it. You are not worth more than your network, in fact your networth is your network. Before we plunge headlong into how to network, who to network and the right objectives for networking, let’s first understand what Networking is, and what it is not.
So what is networking? According to ‘The Networking Book’ by Jessica Lipnack and Jeffrey Stamps, ‘Networking is people connecting with people, linking ideas and resources.’ The book ‘Power Networking, 55 Secrets for Personal & Professional Success’ states that networking is not: 1) Selling; 2) Using people for your gain; 3) Coercing or manipulating someone to do what you want; 4) Putting friends, neighbors, associates on the spot; or 5) Badgering people about your business.
Networking is not a shotgun quick fix approach to getting to know people so that you can convert them to business tomorrow, it’s a gradual building of relationships with people with the interest of knowing them, and exchanging value with them over time. Real networking is longterm relationship building with people linking ideas and resources for the greater good of both parties.
Here are a few key thoughts on networking
1. Establish Relationships
Typically try to know people well. Don’t just network for the purpose of business, be genuinely interested in people. No one cares what you know until they know how much you care. Harvey Mackay says they have 66 questions their employees have to know about their clients that will stun the CIA. We need to know details about our network or clients, also about our employees, and people.
2. Be Generous
Many people establish relationships because of what they can get, that’s not good enough. Look not only at what you can get, but also at what you can give. How can you help? How can you add value.
“The currency of real networking is not greed but generosity” - Keith Ferrazzi
3. Reach out to Strangers
If you are in a crowd and you stay to yourself, then you isolate yourself. Every stranger is an opportunity to meet one more person. Every flight is an opportunity to interact with one more person. Every training is more valuable for it’s network than it’s information. If you go for a seminar, bond with someone, learn the art of listening, and of introducing yourself.
In Creativity Cafe, “Strangers are just friends who haven’t yet met!” - Peter Rosen
4. Be Honest
Don’t cun your way into a relationship. Be honest about your true intentions, don’t schedule a meeting to interview someone if you really want the person to interview you for a job. If you need help be upfront and straightfoward, don’t be discovered to be phony. Honesty is still the best policy, and integrity and trust are still the universally accepted capital for business.

5. Network Selectively
“You never know, someone might say yes” - that’s marketing for dummies, not intelligent people. Don’t go around networking every tom dick and harry. Be selective. Take time to build a profile for the type of people who what you have to offer will appeal to, or who you can be of genuine help to. Speak to people predisposed to what you have to offer, not just anybody that breathes.
“A friend of the whole world, will come to ruin” - The Holy Bible.
6. Reciprocate
Networking is a two way street. So if someone has assisted you, make it a priority to help her down the road. However, do not expect something for someone just because you did something for her. Sometimes that person may not be in the position to help you. However, personally I believe that if you help someone out of the goodness of your heart, it is the ‘order of the universe’ that someone will help you one day. And remember, it has been said, that it is better to give than to receive.
“Give and it will come back to you, in good measure, shaken together, and running over, shall me give to your bossom” - The Holy Bible.
7. Value contacts ahead of contracts
When relationships and contracts clash, go for relationships. Business deals are really relationships between people. People will do business with you because the know you, like you, or trust you. Get a Rolodex (I just learnt that one, it’s a device that is used to store contacts), George bush, and Clinton had some of the best disciplines known ever of keeping people fresh in their minds, that’s why they became president. Keep people fresh in your mind, know them, know about them.
8. Find a Creative way to stay in touch
We met before is an acquaintance, not a relationship. Relationships are cultivated, nourished, developed. It requires calling, mailing, sending sms, and visiting. It requires knowing birthdays, staying in touch, helping out, linking up.
If I score myself on networking, with you for example, I certainly am not doing well. I have however identified this, and I want to really be better. I want to be top 5 Networkers in Nigeria. I want to know people, deeply, to support them, help them and connect them. I’m not doing poorly, but I have great room for improvement. There are so many people that check this site daily for example that never say a word, never drop a comment, just come in, share it with friends and walk. I need you, all of you. Get in touch with me, let me know you, let’s build a relationship. I’m tired of counting hits, I want to count people, people that I know well, people I can help and people that can support me.
It’s the right season and time… our future, the future of our nation and of our children, depend on our abilities to connect today. What are you doing about your network?

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