Maximum Productivity Looks To Leveraging These 4 Critical Success Factors

Posted on February 21, 2008
Filed Under Business |

Maximum productivity from all capital and asset investments especially human capital is the goal of any business. How can I get the most out of each piece of equipment to each employee to reap the greatest rewards from these investments?

Possibly, you are not experiencing the maximum productivity from your human capital, your greatest asset, because of these four critical success factors. Please let me explain through 4 vignettes.

Vignette One: In speaking with a business owner, I asked him the following question: If I talked with 10 of his employees from the top down and asked each of them to name the top three business goals for the current year, would I receive exactly the same answer from each of them? This business owner quietly answered No with a shrug of his shoulders. Then I asked, what are all those missed answers or goals costing you? I could see through his body language further depression.

Vignette Two: During another speaking engagement, I asked a small business owner if she practiced goal setting. Of course, I do was her quick response. Then I asked if she could state with 100% truthfulness that all of her employees consistently practice goal setting and goal achievement. No, she knew that was not the case. I then asked her how did this goal setting inability affect her bottom line?

Vignette Three: In meeting with a potential client, I asked the company president if he eve saw behavior that was inconsistent with his strategic plan and current organizational goals? The yes response was very quick. So, I followed with this question: What did you do? He replied we send them to training. And does that work, I asked him. Yes, possibly for a short time before they forget or change jobs. So, is this performance or productivity failure due to a lack of knowledge and skills or because of poor attitudes and habits I asked. He thought for several moments and then said why it is bad attitudes and poor habits. Then what are all these redo’s costing your company’s bottom line?

Vignette Four: At the annual meeting, a manufacturing CEO told her executive team that the goal for the next 12 months is to improve growth by 15%. Upon dismissal from the meeting, the executives went back to their office to execute this directive. The Operations VP drew up plans to purchase new manufacturing equipment for some recently released new products. In another office, the VP of Marketing & Sales began to craft a plan selling current products. With all of this planning going on, the VP Finance decided to cut budgets to capital improvement and marketing. Each of these executive team members believed that their actions would result in the 15% increase in growth.

Within each of these vignettes, four critical success factors were present: communication, goal setting & goal achievement skills, attitudes and alignment.

Critical Success Factor One: Communication is main key to maximizing productivity within any organization. When communication fails, productivity falls.

Critical Success Factor Two: Goal setting and the end result of goal achievement are learned skills. Unfortunately, through what I call the Osmosis Process, these skills are presumed to be present within each individual.

Critical Success Factor Three: The attitudes of your human capital are far more critical to maximizing productivity than job specific skills. When negative attitudes are not addressed, it is like leaving the one bad apple in the barrel full of good ones. Bottom line is that your cash within your K.A.S.H. Box for Sustainable Change has been effectively drained away.

Critical Success Factor Four: Alignment is also critical to achieve those necessary desired results. Maximum productivity occurs when the strategies, systems and people are all united in working together to create loyal internal customers. From these loyal internal customers, moments of truth are discovered that lead to loyal external customers.

When these four critical success factors are all working together, productivity will increase as will the bottom line. Possibly, these four questions can help you to begin to realize improved employee productivity:

  1. Do I know with 100% confidence that every employee knows the same top 3 goals for my business? If not, what can I do to turn this No into a Yes?
  2. Do I know with 100% confidence that all of my employees understand and utilize a proven goal setting and goal achievement process? If not, what can I do to turn this No into a Yes?
  3. Do I know with 100% confidence that everyone within my business consistently demonstrates a positive attitude at all times. If not, what can I do to turn this No into a Yes?
  4. Do I know with 100% confidence that the strategies, systems and people in alignment to build loyal internal customers? If not, what can I do to turn this No into a Yes?

Would you like to increase the productivity of your employees? Then you may find the FREE Leadership Audit of interest at http://www.processspecialist.com/od.htm

FREE monthly teleconferences registration at http://www.processspecialist.com/seminars.htm that will help you increase your business productivity to personal productivity.

Please feel free to call me, Leanne Hoagland-Smith, Your Chief People Officer and Business Coach for individuals and organizations that are not where they want to be 219.759.5601.

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