Evans Walsh, Negosentro | It’s always good to know what your strengths are, but it’s also important to understand if you have any gaps you need to fill. Your business may be missing a few critical elements and not even know it.
Stop focusing on all you’re doing right for the moment and spend a little time digging deeper into what areas you may need to start paying more attention to. They key is always to be learning and growing and not get too comfortable in one place for too long. There’s never a bad time to step back and review what may not be going as smoothly as you’d prefer and take action to change it.
A Plan
You don’t know where you’re heading next unless you have a specific plan mapped out and can clearly envision how you’re going to get there. Set goals early and detail exactly how you’ll go about achieving each one. Without a blueprint for the future, you’ll likely find that you’re spinning your wheels and getting nowhere fast. Sit down with your leadership team and begin brainstorming ideas for what you want to accomplish in the upcoming years. Even if you have a plan in place, it’s smart to revisit it often and make sure you’re on track to reach each milestone on time. Be good about monitoring it and making any necessary updates as you go.
Leadership
Your business won’t survive long on fumes, so what you require are true leaders in place that can help you meet your goals. You need people with leadership expertise running the show if your business is going to be successful. It’s not very helpful if you have employees working for you who aren’t being guided and molded along the way by someone who knows what they’re doing. Make sure you’re not only demonstrating leadership abilities as the owner, but also that those working under you is doing so with their teams as well. Know how to delegate appropriately, show passion for what you do and lead by example. These are skills you should continue to practice and perfect as time goes on.
Technology Upgrades
One area that’s extremely important to pay attention to and get yourself more acquainted with is technology. Adopting these solutions will help you be more productive and work more efficiently so that it’s possible to get through your to-do list. For example, look into using point of sale systems to speed up the checkout process and please your retail customers. These are the sort of enhancements you need if you’re going to get ahead of the competition and keep customers coming back to your store. There are also additional ways technology can help you work smarter and innovate internally, so it’s worth looking into further.
Roles & Responsibilities
You want to hire a team of people who are not only talented, but know what they’re trying to accomplish each day they enter the office. You can accomplish this goal by detailing out specific roles and responsibilities for each person. Taking this step will reduce any sense of confusion or duplicating of work when tackling various assignments. It’s not a bad idea to sit down with each person and go over what these job duties are and see if they have any modifications or input. Without these guidelines, there will likely be chaos and a lot of disagreements about what people are supposed to be doing daily. It will also help you as the boss know when it’s necessary to hire on more people as your company grows and plates become fuller.
Customer Service Policies & Procedures
There should be no discussion over the fact that your customers are the most important element of your business. You depend on them for keeping your doors open and making a living, so never take all they do for granted. It’s a smart idea to have customer service policies and procedures in place to help reduce any sort of conflict with clients. Train the employees working in this department so they know exactly what they can and can’t offer customers who call in with questions or complaints. Without strict rules in place, it’ll be easy to treat people differently, and this will cause you a lot of headaches in the long run.
Open Communication
Remember that although you’re the boss and have access to all sorts of information, your staff and customers don’t. You need to make sure the right people have the data they need to do their jobs or conduct business with you by practicing open communication. Always be aware of who needs to know what and ensuring that messages get communicated to those people in a timely manner. Use email, pick up the phone or hold meetings to clear the air and share what’s on your mind with the individuals who need to be informed of what’s currently happening. Losing touch and communication with employees and customers will only make it more difficult for you to run your business successfully.
Encouragement & Motivation
While you expect a lot out of your employees and assume that when they accepted your offer to start working they’d give it their all, you still need to motivate and encourage them regularly. People in newer generations thrive on instant feedback and praise from their superiors and peers. Not only let them know when they’re doing a great job, but also reward them fairly and give them a reason to come to the office each day and try their best. Hold regular companywide meetings to share important information with staff members and motivate them to keep up the hard work.
Conclusion
Never assume you know it all or that your business is fine how it is. Always be looking for growth opportunities and ways to improve your foundation. These are a few important elements your business may be missing that are worth your time and energy to inspect and research further. While you may not be able to achieve them all right away, start a priority list and then get to work tackling each of them one by one.
