From the CEO

From Good to Great by Jim Collins is the book which I am reading now. The focus is on what has distinguished truly great companies and their CEOs from other companies. One element of having a great company is having the right people ‘on the bus’. And not only having the right people on board but having them in the right seats is critical to distinguishing a great company from a good one. The focus of this book is on large multi million or billion dollar corporations - very different from the micro shop that I run. However there are many points which I think translate to all size organizations:

1. Hire staff at all levels who are passionate about what the company does or provides
2. The right people will be self motivated. (however management has to work to ensure that they do not demotivate these individuals).
3. Don’t settle for just anybody when looking to hire. It’s better to wait than to settle.
4. When a company is in time of transition, get the right people on the bus and the right people off the bus before determining the direction.
5. If it seems like you don’t have a fit with an employee, first determine if it’s the role you have assigned to that individual before ending the relationship.
6. If it is not a good fit, act… let everyone move on with their lives. (a tough one)

What Jim Collins does not discuss but I think is connected is retention. When you have the right people, what will you do to retain those individuals? How do their life events factor into your retention plan? Do you work with staff to reduce hours to a part-time schedule; create a flexible schedule, etc?

If you have managed people for any length of time, then you have had a resignation. There are times when this might b e a good thing. You and the employee both know at some level that the relationship isn’t working for either and this is the right next step. Hopefully this is the exception, not the rule. Too often the resignation is from a reliable, high performing individual and comes at a busy time for the company.

If you run a small business like I do, then it is tough to be without an employee for long. The temptation is to post a position and spread the word that you need a person who can do the same tasks as the person who left. But is that the best course of action? Are your services and customers the same? Are you using exactly the same technology? What current employees are ready for a new challenge?

Flex time and work life balance are buzz words these days but what do they really mean? And how does part-time work fit into this mix? These days when I hear part-time on the news these days it is usually in connection with the unemployment rate and those who are underemployed… creating a negative connotation. Yet, there are many who choose to work part-time in order to take care of children or parents, go to school, ease into retirement, etc.  So yes, these individuals are seeking a work life balance but not in the way which may be considered typical.

I define a part-time employee as someone who works less than 30 hours per week or is working on a project basis for a company (e.g. edits documents as needed). A part-time employee is NOT always temporary and may not be hourly or junior level. It is possible to work on a part-time basis in most industries with some planning. I have seen jobs posted for part-time lawyers, doctors, marketing professionals, development directors, account analysts, accountants, etc.

I run a small business. I’m a new owner but have managed the day to day affairs of The Guild Associates (GA) for many years (with some guidance). Work life balance is a concept that is used frequently throughout the TAPP website and constantly appears in the media. Work life balance can take many forms: working from home; a varied work schedule, how time off is administered, etc.