A common theme I hear among small business owners (in the construction industry particularly) is the struggle to attract and retain skilled and/or loyal workers. From recruiting, to hiring, to training, to deploying - our aim is to retain the people or else we have to continually repeat these processes which are costly, time-consuming and stressful. While this is more than just a local issue, there are ways we can set ourselves apart in order to get and keep the good ones.
Step 1 Hire the Right People
It is tempting to hire someone for skills that line up with what you produce. However, you first must evaluate yourself in order to determine what skill set it is that you really need. You want to fill the gap in your team that will bring the most value. To do this, ask yourself "What do I not enjoy doing?" "What do I not have time to do?" "What do I not know how to do?" Then, hire the person to do THOSE things. For example, if you are spending the majority of your time trying to figure things out then you need help. Bottom line - if you don't have ample time to focus on things that are going to improve your business longevity then you need to delegate.
Step 2 Establish a Process
Nobody wants to work for someone who doesn't have their stuff together. Consistency is key. Having a process in place keeps everyone marching to the same beat. Not only does having a process allow you to do more with less, but it frees up more time to spend on the customer and gaining more business. The idea is to keep a steady flow of work so your team can have stability. The alternative is getting yanked from job site to job site and never knowing what the next day holds. People gravitate to businesses with structure. When you have a repeatable process it is easier for team members to learn and move up the ranks. People crave opportunities to learn and advance. No one wants a dead end job.
Step 3 Set Goals
This one is double-sided. Not only will you benefit from setting goals for the company performance, you will benefit greatly from setting goals for the individuals on the team. People are energized by challenges and opportunities to shine. PEARSON'S LAW states "Where performance is measured, performance improves" and "Where performance is measured and reported, the rate of improvement accelerates." A simple hack is to always ask "How much?" and "By when?" to get people to commit to a target. If you have a project plan you can track and measure % complete progress. Targets could be # of days, # of hours, # of feet, etc.
I hope these tips help you, as the owner, to achieve the freedom to pursue the things you love and to remember the reason why you started your business to begin with. It can be easy to slip into the habit of doing too much in order to prevent spending, but it is impossible to grow without investing. Investment in people is one of the best ways to achieve business longevity and growth.
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