How to excel in the people business
It’s important to realise that without people, you have no business. Every part of your business is reliant on people, from your external people (your customers) to your internal people (your team). This article is purely focused on internal people and how they can contribute to a thriving workplace and successful business.
If you look at any successful organisation, you will see talented internal people are the backbone of the business. Why? Because your people set your organisation apart from competitors. With this in mind, it is important to consider: how much work and focus do you and your organisation’s leaders put into talent management and development?
In order to retain talented people, your senior management needs to become dedicated to developing talent and setting an environment that allows talented people to thrive. An environment of development and progression should be the foundation of your company culture, which will set the atmosphere for talent capability and retention.
Setting this culture is more important in today’s economic climate than ever before. There is no doubt that job security is at the forefront of employees’ minds, but after that, workplace flexibility and then a sense of appreciation are the two things workers are really looking for. Your organisation should look to harness this to create a desirable and successful workplace.
Culture comes from within
It is important to acknowledge that it is not something that can be developed using a top-down approach. Culture is developed by your people, not by a management team. Establishing a culture based on talent and development can only be achieved when talented people want to be a part of the growth and success of the company. They want to experience a sense of ownership and to understand how their personal contribution helps the success of the organisation.
How do you get your workplace on the way to becoming a talent factory?
Start by understanding the capabilities of your team on an individual level and as a whole. Make it your business to understand their future career goals, aspirations and current skills, and assess the skills required to bridge the gap.
From here, establish a learning and career development plan for each employee with a clear timeline and developmental benchmarks. When individuals feel as though they are invested, this will lead to a greater sense of ownership and in turn, teamwork and co-operation. What’s more, talented organisations can often promote from within if they build on the skills of people within the business.
If you as a business owner care about your people and their talent, it is a good idea to have a dedicated human resource manager or team. This will allow you to implement career development strategies based on the culture and needs of your organisation. Strong organisations will ensure they have strong development plans. Have a look below to see how we go about it at Di Bella Coffee:
Step 1: Analyse your organisational structure or, as I like to say, analyse your seats of the bus.
Step 2: Analyse what competencies are required to fill the seats of the bus.
Step 3: Assess the current capabilities of your organisation.
Step 4: Identify the skills gap between where you are and where you’d like to be.
Step 5: Develop a thorough training program to allow you to bridge the skills gap.
Step 6: Continue to review this process every 12 months in line with performance reviews.
Here’s an extra tip. Download or read Stephen Lundin’s Ubuntu! – a great story about corporate culture and working with your team.
Remember, business and the world as a whole revolve around people. As I mentioned earlier, customers are external people, and your team or talent are internal people. No matter what industry you identify with, we are all in the people business!
*Original Article by Phil Di Bella: http://www.brw.com.au/p/entrepreneurs/phil_di_bella_how_to_excel_in_the_Go52jjA1VuzqtPuKRDyLmK