Motivating employees: Butteriss on human resources
Share this article:
Post on twitter:
Entrepreneurs believe in themselves—that’s as basic to being an entrepreneur as is the ability to set task goals. It is not surprising, then, that many entrepreneurs recognize instinctively that their own example of energy, commitment, and hard work is the best thing they have to offer their employees. They truly believe they must “walk the talk,” and so they are likely to recognize, even before they begin to cultivate people management skills, that they possess the key leadership quality of being able to motivate employees by their example. It was a theme sounded over and over in the interviews conducted with entrepreneurs: they were still comparatively new to studying human resources theory, but they did think of themselves as role models.
People management calls for the entrepreneur to develop and communicate a clear vision and direction of the company to all employees. Vision may seem too fanciful a word to use in the hard-headed world of business, but it’s actually as practical as setting a timetable and knowing your destination when you start a trip. According to Joanne Thomas Yaccato, visions“are nothing more than dreams with a time limit. When you are starting out on a journey, it helps to know the destination. Your end point is simply where you want to end up eventually. If you don’t have a very clear idea of what your goals and vision are, the end point becomes a moving target.”
An entrepreneur who communicates a vision for the business helps current employees understand where the company is headed and allows prospective employees to decide whether or not their personal goals align well with those of the business. But it’s also good for the leader to articulate that vision, since it creates a baseline against which all future decisions can be measured.
How do you create a vision and direction?
There are many ways for a business operator to develop a vision and direction for the organization. The one used frequently and successfully with organizations of all sizes encourages the leader of the company, often with the total management team, to picture the company in the future and then to identify ways and means of making that picture come true. Although the goal is a“vision,” the method is practical: Use a specific time line in the relatively near future, say two years, and focus the questions on the key business areas of company offerings, whether products or services, and on markets.
In some cases, management has involved the whole employee population in developing the vision and direction; such involvement certainly promotes general commitment to a new program. More than one meeting with employees may be necessary to ensure that everyone has a chance for input. However, at the end of the day, the management team has to decide what the vision and direction is.
Below is a set of questions to help business operators develop vision and direction for their organizations.
Vision
1. What will our company look like in two years in terms of:
- products and services offered?
- geographical and demographic markets served?
2. What will the company’s stakeholders be saying about the company in two years? The stakeholders considered might include:
3. What will the culture and values of the company be in two years? Participants should be encouraged to describe all aspects of the workplace and the company culture.
- What will it be like to work here? Will we be working in teams with a high degree of authority, or will we create a workplace that is led by the owner/manager/buyer?
- Will we encourage flexibility in working hours and a creative way of thinking?
- What will our values be in the sense that they guide the way we work? For instance, will we operate under such values as:
| • honesty • focus on the customer • partnership with employees |
Direction
The vision that emerges from this process of discussion becomes the basis for setting a company direction: in the terms of David Anderson (CEO, Canatom NPM)— setting goals and objectives. The questions here are deceptively simple.
- Where are we now?
- What will help us to achieve our vision within the next two years?
- What might hinder us from achieving the vision?
Copyright© 1999 by Margaret Butteriss. All rights reserved. Published by John Wiley& Sons Canada, Inc.
http://www.amazon.ca/Help-Wanted-Complete-Resources-Entrepreneurs/dp/0471643882
References
Butteriss, M. (1999). Help Wanted: The Complete Guide to Human Resources for Canadian Entrepreneurs. Toronto: John Wiley& Sons. pp.4-7
Related Articles and Workbooks
Stock options Founders need to know how to allocate share interests among those contributing their time and talents to the venture.
Writing a corporate value statement A well-formulated corporate value statement can positively influence financial performance. Here’s how to write one effectively.
Profit sharing: Butteriss on human resources Profit-sharing plans provide bonuses to employees based on a certain percentage of the company profit.
Separating governance from management Boards govern while management manages. Good boards work on the premise that while accountability can be delegated, responsibility cannot.
Leadership: Kotler on marketing All managers should be leaders, but most are administrators. Leaders need to be teachers and to teach others to be leaders.
Attracting and retaining the right people: Butteriss on human resources Compensation must be reasonably competitive in order to attract and retain the best employees in the field. However, for a small company, that is only part of the story.
Related Videos
Related Blogs
