As promised, this week we will focus on what I consider to be 5 major leadership characteristics necssary for us to succeed in the contract cleaning business.
1. HONESTY--Here I am talking primarily about honesty AND integrity. I realize this is pretty obvious but look around you in the world today. Look around in the business world today. The government has had to get involved in many business empires to save the companies from themselves and sometimes it is obvious that congress needs to save itself from itself.
2. BE A DECISION MAKER--Here is where so many business people slow down and sometimes ruin their opportunity for success. Some people just cannot make a decision and by the time they get around to making the decision, the opportunity that may have been theirs is gone.
I know a gentleman that is an outstanding manager in just about every way you could judge him, but he cannot make a decision. He waivers one way and then another and then another. If someone makes the decision and then hands him the program or policy to manage he will do a superb job but don't ask him to make the initial decision. I should also mention that most entrepreneurs are not very good managers. They are great idea people but have a difficult time managing the ideas they generated. This is not a bad thing.
3. HANDLE PROBLEMS PROMPTLY--This is one of the most difficult areas for most entrepreneurs to attack. Most can handle problems with customers or lawyers or bankers without much difficulty but handling employee problems, especially at the management level is one area that just doesn't get done well most of the time. Of course it can be difficult dealing with customers or lawyers or bankers but most entreprenuers will jump right in and address the issues. By the same token if they are having a problem with a management employee they will procrastinate until many times damage has been done to the organization that can be very difficult to repair.
As I write this I can recall about 10 instances through the years where I should have acted promptly on an employee issue and didn't. All of us make very good decisions in hindsight.
I should mention here that I terminated my wife twice and she quit once. I also fired one of my sons once and he quit once. Boy did those make for some "fun" family discussions. How come I could fire my family who I love dearly and not terminate a non-relative who probably deserved to be history for many more serious reasons, and sooner? Just lucky, I guess.
4. MAINTAIN YOUR FOCUS--I have discussed many times the importance of a business plan along with the need for a focus on customer satisfaction and employee training and the need for constantly learning as much as you can about this great industry.
Rest assured, many distractions will occur as you grow your company. You probably already know that. Many so called "oppotunities" will arise that you will be tempted to "take advantage of" but it is your responsibility to address the one big issue of DOES IT FIT WHAT WE ARE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH AND WHERE WE ARE TRYING TO GO?
5. DON'T ALLOW OTHERS TO CONTROL YOUR DESTINY--This is a big one. As a leader it is your responsibility to set the course for your company and for your personal life. The culture of your company is YOUR responsibility. A couple of ways you can control your own destiny or have others control it for you are...
OVERALL CUSTOMER QUALITY
While relationships are critical in the service business, poor quality of work will eventually destroy most relationships. This means it is up to YOU to decide the standard of work that is acceptable in your organization. You will have supervisors and managers checking the work and doing the training etc. but it is still your responsibility. You set the bar, not the line worker or supervisor. Agree?
MANAGING TIME
As you build your business, managing your time and the time of your staff becomes even more critical. You probably are realizing that every day. How are you doing? Many people are pulling you many different directions and your day can become one of frustration.. Your time management is one thing you will struggle with constantly.
Do you know that if you have 10 employees that waste 5 minutes a day and you pay them $10 per hour that equates to lost dollars of $2,520 per year? Now take your personal pay rate and time value and multiply that times 5 minutes a day and see what that amount is.
You can go to my web site at www.consultantsincleaning.com and download a free chart that shows you what 5 minutes a day lost costs you at various pay rates and with different numbers of employees. Just click on the WORKSHEET icon and it will take you to the "its only 5 minutes" chart. Other free items are there as well for your use. Hopefully some of them will be helpful. Much of what I have said here is also available in greater detail in my book "The Do's and Don'ts of Contract Cleaning From One Who Did and Didn't. That is available by clicking on the book icon at the web site. (that is not free however). Chapter 15 covers leadership qualities in much greater detail than we are able to address in a short blog such as this.
I realize there are many traits and characteristics to being a leader. What I have shared with you in these two blogs are just a few that I consider paramount to success in this industry.
Till next time. Don't forget our FREE weekly pod cast at www.tripodcast.com. This week's session was recorded with a beautiful sunset behind me.
No comments:
Post a Comment