Insights of a business coach:I'm a business coach. That's what I do and have done for years in both corporate America and now for myself as a small business owner. I love doing what I do every single day because I have a passion for helping business owners, managers and self-employed professionals face reality in their businesses and lives. I have found some amazing things about people and their businesses and I would like to share my insights with you.

You cannot reach the vision and goals set for your business without the help of others. Your greatest asset is people — the "right" people, who share your company's values, ethics, personality, culture and vision.

Your primary objective is to get the right people on your ship, the wrong people off and then direct the course of the ship yourself.

That means recruiting, training/coaching, developing and retaining your competent employees are critical factors for your company and some of your top responsibilities as a leader. Your focus should be to develop others and create the right conditions for their success. In short, unleash the full human potential of your organization.

What employees want

Here are some things I have found in the real business world that employees want.

- To know where the company is headed and why

- To know their roles, responsibilities and what is expected of them

- To know how they will be evaluated and rewarded

- To utilize their talents in the best way possible

- To feel appreciated and valued — that their work and ideas matter

- To be coached — challenged, motivated and held accountable

- To have the right tools, training and authority to do their jobs

- To contribute in a meaningful way to the company and its mission

- To grow and develop – to reach their potential

- To have an emotionally connected, competent manager/leader of character support their success

Hiring and firing

Hire for talent, not just resumŽ data. Be sure to hire emotionally engaged people, people with passion in their eyes, fire in the belly. Match their talent to the position — again, help them to be successful.

Don't hesitate to use personal assessment tests to better understand the aptitudes, attitudes and talents of potential employees but please do not make the final decision based upon a test. Some of the most successful people I have hired or known did poorly on these types of tests. Hire for talent.

While you should hire people slowly, fire them quickly if they do not fit your culture and can't operate within your system.

Do not let emotionally disengaged people or negative people infect your company. Don't waste time and energy trying to rehabilitate poor performers (the lower 20 percent that cause 80 percent of your headaches). Spend your time and effort with your top performers, the top 20 percent and also with those that really have the desire, passion and the talent to improve and contribute with your leadership. This top 20 percent and rising stars will produce 80 percent of your company's results. So, put tremendous effort into developing and retaining the right people.

Because you cannot control everything, the development of your system and your people is paramount. Spend time and effort hiring the right people to manage your system. Hire excellent leaders and managers. Then let your managers hire competent employees to work the system. They should hire hard working and loyal people who will follow the system and execute their duties according to documented practices. Again, hire emotionally engaged people with passion in their souls. Their focus should be on working the system and improving the operations manual, as necessary. They should not be free-lancing, adlibbing or winging it.

Remember that your greatest asset is people — the "right" people. Make sure you treat them right and they will do things for you and your business that you never dreamed of. They will do these things because their actions will come from their hearts not their heads.

Contact Mark S. Dipple at m.dipple@thegrowthcoach. com.

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