One of the biggest challenges facing business owners today is achieving results. “We want growth! We want success! We want BUSINESS RESULTS!” has become the mantra of owners everywhere.
And, who can blame owners for wanting these things? They are the individuals who have put all at risk to create and build the business. In exchange, they want to see results. The failure of not achieving results in any organization is a great source of frustration. Here are some reasons why results are often lacking.
The first is that far too many jobs and written job descriptions list tasks to be completed and not results to be achieved. Another way to put this is that individuals are hired and being paid for activity and not for accomplishment.
The next time you walk through any organization, look at the individuals working and ask yourself “what results is this person supposed to be achieving?” People aren’t supposed to be hired to do “stuff” yet far too many of them do just that. All day long, week after week, month after month. And, when it comes time for their performance review, employees often expect a raise for keeping busy but not effective.
The second is that the results being sought are in conflict within the organization. A credit manager or financial manager has the responsibility to manage assets, including cash. The sales person is being charged with finding new business and this sometimes means uncovering opportunities to do business with customers or clients with less than stellar credit. So, the sales person is charged with achieving specific sales goals that run directly counter to that of the credit manager.
The third is that there is no hierarchy of results. No one has taken the time to explain how the sought after results of each person fits into the results of the department, then to the division, then to the company as a whole. Broken down person by person, it becomes clear what people have to do, by when, and in what order. It also becomes clear to identify when people don’t do what they are supposed to be doing, and so corrective action can take place, at every level.
The fourth is that the results are never discussed once they have been set. After being determined, the results are not referred to again, never reviewed, never measured and corrective action does not take place. The “report card” if you will, is never given to those that need it.
Fifth, people are told what results to achieve, but cannot accomplish the assignment for a variety of reasons. These reasons include not having the tools, not having the motivation or the understanding of what the steps or the process is. Many times those giving the orders assume that those getting the orders understand what but not the why or even the how to achieve the desired results.
If you wonder why things don’t happen as they should in your organization, take a look to see if one of these five are at the root cause. Take steps now to change job descriptions to include results, make sure people understand why they are on the payroll, that desired results are synchronized and focused, and that the tools are available.
