Nothing Changes - Unless You Do by Ardon Schambers
Nothing Changes - Unless You Do
A few years ago I was starting my first consulting company, one of my potential partners decided he would take some time to sail, before getting too involved. A 5 month excursion turned into a seven year lifestyle change. Eventually he decided maybe he needed to go back to work. He was very apprehensive about his ability to contribute. He had previously held a significant Human Resources position with a local leading company. We assured him he would be OK.
My associate’s main concern was the changes in regulations and how people managed in the new progressive environment. After a few months of several clients and a variety of projects, an evening discussion over a glass of wine or two, covered various issues and solutions. My associate finally stated he was doing just fine in the consulting game. A single observation seemed to sum up his thoughts: Nothing has changed. The same type of employees are the problems; managers make the same mistakes at the same point in their career progression, and the driving forces behind business decisions is pretty much the same. The regulations are a sideline.
What about results?
In many instances the results are the same, because processes are the same. Where the results are less forthcoming, it may be the result of a new type of competition, or the market is focused on a new need. One new element in the picture that seems to be impacting results is the use of technology in smaller niches of business operations. All sorts of people are using computers, smart phones, e-books and applications for unique situations. The compounding of these little changes is making a difference. It is slowly cutting back on the need for people with limited skills.
Those people who (I hate to use this phrase, but) “think outside the box” are shaping the world around us in a number of subtle ways. They are the people who are essential to the organization if it is to be sustained. They are the people who progressive organizations must attract and retain.
Every time business starts to ramp up, managers and owners begin to focus on critical resources and what they need. A light bulb goes on and someone says we can’t afford to lose Billie Bob, or Sara Slick. So the first thing they do is throw some money at them and the price wars begin. New surveys are starting to show the re-occurring trend. Then the cost of employees gets out of hand and everything evolves in much the same fashion as in the past. But like lemmings we line up doing the same things to retain the critical employees and keeping things in balance with the rest of the staff.
So my old associate seems to be right, time goes by, but nothing changes. It reinforces the old adage that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results. So let me propose a new strategy and process:
1) Don’t wait until the crisis occurs, find out what your essential employees are thinking and react early.
2) Create an environment that is more valuable than money to attract and hold employees.
RSS Feed