| ||
| ||
|
Management Information | |
|
|
Is Your Business Healthy?
Most business owners I work with want to grow their businesses. I guess this probably applies to most businesses in general. But growth for the sake of growth alone is not always healthy for a business or its people. I've always believed a business should strive to be healthy rather than focus just on growth. Of course, this begs the question, "What make a business healthy?" This question comes up often for me so, I have crafted what I call my Healthy Business Manifesto. (Before I dive in, I should clarify one point. When I use the word "business" I mean any organization that has people, money and a purpose, not just a for-profit business in the traditional sense. A business can be a non-profit organization, a school, a church, a government agency or a membership association. It does not have to be a for-profit entity.) To be healthy, a business needs to have several things going for it. Here are the factors I would look for in a healthy business. First, it needs to have a clearly defined mission that its owners, managers and employees understand and support. Second, the business should have resources that are appropriate to meeting the mission. Lacking them, it should have a realistic plan to acquire those resources. Third, each person in the organization should understand what their role is and how it fits into the overall mission of the business. They should be able to see a clear link that connects their success to the success of the organization. Fourth, the people who own and manage the business need to understand and accept their role as resource providers. Their responsibility is to make sure their employees have the necessary resources at their disposal to be successful at their jobs. Fifth, the business needs to generate enough profits to fairly compensate everyone involved. This includes owners, employees, managers, vendors, contractors, customers, host community and perhaps others. Anyone who participates in the success of the organization needs to be compensated fairly. This compensation needs to come from the operating profits of the organization. (Rather than from capital contributions, loans, etc.) Sixth, the business must have a system in place to monitor the extent to which it is accomplishing its mission. It should be able to stay directed toward and course-correct whenever necessary. Seventh, the business must be a fun place to be. Whether you're an owner, manager, customer, employee, vendor, volunteer or whomever, you should enjoy being a part of the organization. Does your organization meet these seven standards? If not, what can you do to help your business become healthier? Kevin Stirtz is a successful entrepreneur, writer, trainer, speaker and mentor. He is a published author of over 150 business articles and he has been featured in local, regional, national and international business publications. He currently writes a marketing column for AllBusiness.com and he is writing his first book, which is due to be published in March of 2006. He can be reached at 1-952-212-4681 or http://www.KevinStirtz.com
MORE RESOURCES:
Management - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Getting Information From Prospects You're at a networking function and you've made that all-important contact. You want to get help from this individual but you know that you need to start working on building a relationship with them first. Eight Key Steps to Building B2B Major Account Client Alliances Audiences who saw the fabled Broadway musical, Chorus Line, marveled at the intricate timing and seamless interaction of the dancers as they mastered the choreographer's precision steps after many false starts in rehearsal.At the final curtain, the stage is crowded with dancers whose images are multiplied by mirrors strategically placed about the stage. Innovation Management - Diversity Can Make All The Difference Companies are welcoming a diverse range of employees (The Sunday Times, April 10 2005). Doh!It is incredible that this concept is getting coverage in 2005. Encouraging Behavior That Gets Results You're the boss, and you have every reason to feel good about your organization.You've built a great team. Keys to Feeling Powerfull In An Uncertain World Life has always been full of uncertainties. Over the last several years with downsizing, bankruptcies, scandals, crime, the economic environment, and the threat of war, people are feeling power-less, fearful, and stressed about their present and future lives. Knowledge Management - Leadership Behaviours Which Encourage Knowledge-Sharing The concept of knowledge management or knowledge sharing makes intellectual sense to the leadership teams in most organisations. Why wouldn't we want to learn from our successes and failures, and translate that learning into value?However, there is often a gap between the conceptual understanding, and their own behaviours as leaders - and that can be a problem?How do you engage leaders both intellectually and emotionally, in a way which will make a difference to their day-to-day behaviours? It requires more than a set of competency frameworks!The examples below are taken from the bestselling fieldbook "Learning to Fly ? Practical knowledge management from leading and learning organisations", written by Chris Collison and Geoff Parcell. A Winning Way to Handle New Ideas Janet DiClaudio, who was charge of medical records at two large American hospitals, had an unusual problem. But, the past master in finding creative solutions to work related problems that she was, she found an equally unusual solution. CEOs Role in Family Business I first met Roland (not his real name) in 1972. He was a high school student working a summer job in his father's business. What Consultants Want You to Know (But You Never Ask) I've been both a CEO and a consultant, so I've seen from both perspectives what goes right and what goes wrong when a consultant comes in to a company. Generally the CEO or the manager who hires the consultant tells the consultant what he or she wants. Better Management Performance - The Easy 3-Step Way Managers make three mistakes when they try to run businesses. They do too much, they don't trust their people and they don't have enough skills. Tales from the Corporate Frontlines: Employee Ideas Achieve Work Life Balance This article relates to the Work/Life Balance competency, which investigates how your staff feels with regard to the balance between work and personal life. It explores issues such as priority of family and hours on the job, also covered in this competency. A Tricky Supervision Challenge Many managers believe that treating their team members as responsible adults will assure excellent results. The truth is that while this usually is effective, some people need much firmer limits than others to perform their jobs. In Leadership, The Critical Convergence Drives Great Results The Leader's Fallacy lives! We subscribe to the Fallacy when we believe our enthusiasm over a particular leadership challenge is automatically reciprocated by the people we lead.If ignorance is bliss then leaders going around blithely adhering to the Leader's Fallacy have cornered the market on happiness. Are You Measuring Something Meaningful? Avoiding inert measures that anaesthetise your performance management.INTRODUCTIONYou sit before the monthly report, which might be an inch or so thick, and you contemplate whether it's the best use of your time to paw through the pages to check if there's anything useful in there for you. Competencies for HR Professionals in Knowledge-based Industry with Reference to IT, ITES-BPOs Introduction"High performing HR function affects bottom line nearly 10%"- A surveyCompetencies have become integral part of HR field. In the last 25+ years, the competency approach has emerged from being a specialized and narrow application to being a leading method for diagnosing, framing and improving most aspects of Human Resource Management. Performance Appraisal - Ten Stupid Things Managers Do To Screw It Up Performance appraisals aren't fun. But a lot of the time they are agonizing because managers do really dumb things, ending up destroying a process that is important to everyone (or should be). Five Reasons Why Leaders Fail to Create Successful Change A bold title, don't you think? I mean, change is a complex thing, so to define five reasons seems to oversimplify the issue.Let me be clear. Are You A B.O.S.S. -- Boisterous, Omnipotent, Self Indulgent, Sociopath Boisterous, Omnipotent, Self- indulgent Sociopath. Avoid the B. How To Manage A Difficult Employee Having to manage a difficult employee is never fun and can be the most challenging part of your responsibilities as a business owner/executive. While never easy, this article will address a step-by-step way to consistently and confidently handle the most challenging employee situations. Is It Worth To Outsource? How One Can Outsource Wisely Recent trends in software development market show that it is no longer the most efficient way to work onshore. Competition is too high and in some particular cases, US or European IT people even go farming rather than admit the situation and adapt themselves.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
