Ultimately, any business is a people business. While products or services are the end products of a business, it’s only what the products or services do for people that really matter.
People don’t buy a 3-hole paper punch because they want more stationery, they buy it because they want enough holes to neatly bind their paperwork into a folder. And they don’t buy a computer because they want a plastic box on their desk, but because they want the ability to surf the net, or create a budget on a spreadsheet, or connect with friends on Facebook.
As a result of connecting with people’s wants, needs, and desires, people gladly exchange their money for your products or service.
Still, business is not that simple. Engaging with people, delivering what they want and receiving cash in return to sustain your livelihood are only part of the process. The other half is managing the people in your company that you need to even have a business in the first place.
How do you get the people you hire to be more engaged in your business so that they can get enthusiastic about helping your customers meet their needs?
3 Ways to Manage People Better
- Set up the right platform.
People who sign up for a job need to feel secure about the company’s ability to meet their economic needs. For this, you need a robust global people management platform. What does that look like? The Asure Software platform gives business owners the power to handle payroll and taxes, benefits, human resources, talent management, and other office logistics and operations. What’s more, it uses cloud functionality and mobile flexibility.
Without the right platform, there is chaos. People don’t get their paychecks on time and the IRS begins scheming an audit. So before venturing into how to manage your people better, make sure that you have the right infrastructure in place. Deploying an antiquated bookkeeping system where things go awry is not going to help you win any points with employees.
- Create a corporate culture that people can get behind.
Human beings are teleological creatures. Simply placing someone in a cubicle and handing out assignments in return for a paycheck for the number of hours they spend in that quarantined space is not a formula for a successful business.
Although this does sound ridiculous when expressed this bluntly, this is how many companies were run before tech companies reinvented the world of work. Sadly, it’s how many companies still operate.
For a change in perspective, let’s look at why people love working for Google.
Here is how Forbes described Google:
- “It’s almost ten times harder to get a job at Google than it is to get into Harvard. With more than two million applicants a year, it seems like everyone wants to work at the search giant. Is it because it was crowned the “Happiest Company in America”? In 2011,CareerBliss.com ranked Google No. 1 after more than 100,000 worker-generated reviews from more than 10,000 companies. Scores were based on such factors as work-life balance, relationships with bosses and co-workers, compensation, growth opportunities, a company’s culture and the opportunity for employees to exert control over the daily workflow.”
By creating a positive corporate culture, Google earns staggering revenues. Google’s fiscal year revenues for 2010 were $29.3 Billion. However, three years later, it rose to $58.8 Billion. That’s what happens when people are fully engaged with their work.
- Nourish talent instead of force-fitting work.
As the boss, you have to do more than get people to like you at work. While that’s a great step forward, there’s one step higher—and that’s getting people to like themselves when they are at work.
Assuming that you’ve created a dynamic corporate culture and assuming that people like you because you’re a boss like Tony Hsieh Does of Zappos.com and have a personality that seems to effortlessly deliver happiness, it’s still not enough.
What’s missing is that people have to really like themselves when they are at work. This comes from doing work that suits their interests and temperament. Hire people for the job that they do best, rather than force-fitting people into jobs that need to get done. Only hire people who are a perfect fit for a job description. Then, once they’ve outgrown that role, assign them to work that continues to excite them.
If you want to accelerate your business growth even more, then find ways to help people do what they love to do even better. One of the best ways to do this is to empower your people through structured training or mentorship programs. For example, people who love to sell will enjoy interacting with prospects even more once they get training on how to close prospects with more finesse.
Beyond Business Admin
Business is a complex process. There are so many aspects to it that it’s easy to miss the obvious. However, rather than get caught up in thinking of business as a system of interrelated parts consisting of the interlocked gears of production, R&D, purchasing, marketing & selling, human resource management, accounting, and finance start thinking of it as a people business. With that in mind, what can you do starting today to begin engaging employees and customers more?
Leave a Reply