Who’s In Charge Here?
11 really important questions
Every company owner and manager needs to answer these truthfully.
Are you running your business or is your business running you? Find out if you’re in touch with your company. Take this 5-minute quiz.
These True/False questions are designed to give you a different view into how you run your business. Everyone can learn something new once in a while by taking a fresh look at how they do things. Whether the results show you are doing everything right or that you should make some adjustments, this quick quiz will help you identify areas for improvement.
Scoring
For each answer marked True, give yourself 3 points.
For each answer marked False, give yourself 1 point.
For each answer marked Not Sure or Sometimes, give yourself 2 points.
Note: If you don’t having reserved parking spaces at your office, add three points to your total score.
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You can name the date of your last company-wide meeting.
True or False
I bet your employees can. Employees want to be engaged. They’re looking for direction and leadership. They want a role model who cares about the company. Inspire them. Give them marching orders. You’ll be blown away with what they are capable of.
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Do you have a Suggestion Box?
True or False
A suggestion box can be virtual – it’s a metaphor for being open to suggestions. Don’t install one unless you intend to take suggestions seriously, acting upon the good ones and rewarding people who come up with great ideas.
An empty Suggestion Box tells you: a) Your people don’t think it’s worth it to suggest anything because either they are not creative, or the last time they suggested something, you ignored it, b) Your employees know you stopped checking for suggestions.
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You know what your next company product or service offering is or will be.
True, False or Not sure
As Yogi Berra said, “If you don’t know where you’re gong, you’ll never get there.” Sometimes, it’s OK not to know the answer to this question, but if you haven’t known the answer for more than 6 months, it’s a sign that the company is running you when you should be running the company.
Talk to clients, talk to client facing employees and find out what your customers want from you. Ask everyone in your company what they think your next product or service offering should be. Then set a plan in place to test it and see if people think it’s valuable and how much they’d be willing to pay for it.
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You have a budget for training.
True or False
Learning is a lifetime event. A company that is continuously learning is the only kind that gets ahead in a competitive environment. Training doesn’t have to be expensive.
Put a company library policy in place. Buy a book for anyone who wants one and is willing to share with others what he or she learned from it. It keeps staff skills sharp and employees engaged.
What are you best at? What can you teach others? Make learning fun. When employees feel valued, they treat coworkers and customers better and this helps your company flourish.
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You’ve hired someone smarter than you in the last 18 months.
True, False or Not sure
Hiring someone smarter than you are takes a lot of confidence. But it’s absolutely necessary if you want to grow your company.
Take a full, honest audit of your strengths and weaknesses and begin interviewing people with skills that complement yours and who are capable of filling gaps in areas where you lack knowledge.
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You never eat lunch alone.
True, False or Sometimes
Are you too busy to have lunch with anyone from your company? Do you always eat lunch with the same people? Did you stop going to lunch with new hires? If you answered ‘yes’ to any of these questions, you need to break this habit now. A ‘yes’ answer indicates that you are insulated from the reality of what is going on at your company.
Go to lunch with someone from another department or area of responsibility. When was the last time you ate lunch with a customer? If it’s been more than 30 days, pick up the phone and make a reservation at their favorite restaurant. The information you’ll gather is priceless. Stop making ‘sales’, start creating relationships!
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You failed at something BIG in the last 12 months
True or False
If you’re not failing — or encouraging failure — at your company you are missing out on opportunities. With each failure comes the chance to try something new, learn from your mistakes, and move forward smarter than you were before.
Start small. Gradually build momentum by trying things outside of your normal comfort zone. If they all succeed, you’re thinking too small.
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You monitor your social media channels and respond to feedback daily.
True or False
Companies that don’t monitor and respond to social media feedback daily are missing out on a great opportunity to connect with their community. You don’t have to agree with everything they say, but you do need to stay engaged.
Ignoring social media feedback altogether risks permanently alienating your user base and eventually customers will move on to vendors that are more responsive.
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We have reserved parking spaces for customers, employees or visitors.
True or False
If you only have reserved parking for management, what message does this send to your employees? If you only have one reserved spot at your office, give it to the Employee of the Month. What are you doing on a regular basis to show your employees that you value their contribution?
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You were NOT the only one to speak at the last department meeting.
True, False or Not sure
Ask someone else to put together the agenda and to run the next meeting or ask a group of people to do it. You might be surprised how long, or short, the meeting lasts and what their priorities are.
When was the last time you attended a meeting and didn’t say anything? Let go of control. Let them run with it. See where it leads. And you thought you were the smartest one in the room?
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Your last big strategic decision was NOT based on something a competitor did?
True or False
How did you do?
If you scored 31 or higher, Congratulations! You are in touch with your employees and customers and your company is likely thriving.
If you scored fewer than 31, take it as a warning sign that you may be out of touch with your company, your employees and your customers.
It’s not too late to improve your situation. It takes courage to admit that you can do better. Seek advice. Ask for help if you need it. The worst thing you can do is nothing. Ignoring the warning signs can be fatal to your business.
What are you doing to stay in touch at your company? What are you doing to keep your employees engaged? We’d love to know what’s working for you. Share it in the comments section below. Thanks.
David
Contact us for a complimentary 30-minute consultation.
To learn more about Crest, go to www.crestconsultingllc.com or contact me anytime.
At Crest, we help companies
- Create content that separates them from their competition
- Become subject matter experts in their field
- Measure the effectiveness of their marketing $$
- Generate a consistent pipeline of high-quality leads for less
- Turn clients into evangelists