You May Need a Consultant If...

Unless you've been on a deserted island for the past 10 or so years, you're likely familiar with Jeff Foxworthy's "... you might be a redneck" stand-up routine. Granted: The one sure way to make humor unfunny is to overanalyze it, so I'll keep my academic musing to a minimum! The key to Foxworthy's successful and universal humor is we have all known, seen, or been what he describes. You may not identify yourself as a redneck, but at some time or another, you may have done some of what he describes, to some degree, and those are the jokes that get the biggest laughs out of us.

Now, switch gears with me, and consider the performance of your company, your team, yourself.

We all face business challenges, both personally and as an organization. Sometimes a business is just not growing as fast as it could and should, is in a rut, or worse -- is shrinking. Sometimes the most difficult part of running a company, division or team is leading the it in the right direction and ultimately putting it on the right path to grow and prosper.

"But we don't need any help, certainly not a consultant!"

That would mean something is badly wrong, right? Not necessarily. Your car runs fine, but might not if you skip regular maintenance and tune-ups. You change the weight of oil in your car for cold/hot weather. Put on snow tires for different road conditions. It's no weakness of your car that you consult a mechanic. Using a consultant to take your business to the next level is no different. Want a Maserati, or a beater?

Go in for a tune-up!

Listen to the watercooler conversation. Look at the numbers. Consider the morale of your teams. Listen to your own thoughts.

If any of the following rings true… you need a consultant!

(May we suggest Barr Corporate Success?)

• “We could seriously use a new $1 million.”
• “Our organization feels stuck.”
• “Revenues and growth are flat or falling.”
• “Sales are sluggish and costs are rising.”
• “Our competitors are gaining market share.”
• “Oh, it’s a bad economy, everyone’s off.”
• “The business just isn’t profitable.”
• “Customer demands are changing constantly – how do we know what they want?”
• “How can we find new customers and markets?”
• “Vendors demand more and more from us all the time.”
• “I'm not sure the right people are in the right positions.”
• “People are burned out, unmotivated, and turnover's on the rise.”
• “No one around here makes decisions.”
• “Does our compensation plan reward good performance?”
• “There goes the rumor mill again. These office politics are wasting time.”
• “Most of my team is -- at best -- 'C' players.”
• “How do we get more out of our partner relationships?”
• “We'd love to be more efficient, but how?”
• “What advantages could we get out of new technology?”
• “Sales are giving away the store!”
• “Our product quality and service is weak.”
• “Product development is taking longer than expected. The market’s not waiting.”
• “We’re considering a merger or an acquisition.”
• “New industry regulations are seriously hindering growth.”
• “Industry rules are changing. Our operations aren't aligned to those changes.”
• “No one seems focused on the bottom line.”
• “We spend more time putting our fires than planning for the future.”
• “Well, this is the way we’ve always done it.”
• “We need some solid strategic alliances.”
• “Succession plan? There is no succession plan.”
• “Strategic vision just isn't there. We need some new ideas to grow the business.”
• “We need more innovative leadership.”
• “We need a business, sales and marketing plan with teeth.”
• “How do I develop leaders from within my company?”
• “How can I get my teammates to be as passionate about the business as I am?”

Sound familiar? We can help.

Call 513-470-8980 or e-mail krissi@barrcorporatesuccess.com

Retention, Retention, Retention!

We often hear the truism that the three most important factors in real estate are: location, location and location. A less well-appreciated truism is that one of the most important factors in profitability is one that bears repeating: retention, retention, retention. After all, how can you build intellectual capital, maintain an integrated, functioning workforce, and rapidly adapt to changing market forces if you're continually finding, selecting and training candidates? Capitalize on the investment you've made in the training of employees, and the value you receive from those employees' accumulated knowledge -- don't let the good ones go if you can possibly avoid it.

You will lose at least 6 months' salary -- and up to 18 months' salary, for knowledge worker positions -- to recruit, hire and train a new employee.

No company or manager can control all the forces that might cause employees to leave. Spouses relocate, taking your good people with them... a whole host of other reasons companies cannot control. And of course, if an employee simply cannot meet expectations, both you and that employee would be better served by their finding a new role, either with your company or elsewhere.

However, many, many valuable employees leave for reasons that we can, and should control if we know what's good for business.

Why Do They Leave? Managers might be surprised to find out why workers change jobs. What would your guess be? More money? Nope. Although 97 percent of workers think financial compensation is one of the most important aspects in the workplace, it is not the main reason they change jobs. A Spherion study asked 1,996 randomly selected employed workers what the most important reasons were to change jobs. They answered:

• Growth and earnings potential (30 percent)
• Time and flexibility (23 percent)
• Financial compensation (22 percent)
• Culture, work environment (22 percent)
• Benefits (12 percent)

More cited growth potential than any other single consideration. Just as many listed work culture and environment as important reasons to make a job change as listed financial compensation. Flexibility on time and location is of great importance to those aspiring to excel both professionally and in their family lives. Employers are now facing the challenge of generations interested in self-actualization in both their work and personal lives.

Some managers might be tempted to throw up their hands and roll their eyes, wondering, "Just how far am I supposed to go to keep people happy?" That frustration is understandable, given today's "do more with less" culture.

The good news is that it is well within your power to increase retention -- and the performance of employees who stay -- with some fairly simple interpersonal skills.

• Pay attention to the career arcs of your direct reports, because they do.
• Be flexible when you can be, any way you can be, so employees can have careers and lives.
• Check out salary trends for your industry, so you don't lose $20,000 trying to save $3,000.

Paying attention can really pay off.

Barr Corporate Success is a consultancy firm dedicated to producing amazing results for businesses from Mom & Pop shops to Fortune 500 corporations. If your business is experiencing retention difficulties, it's likely a sign that a change is needed. Barr Corporate Success can show you the way.

For more information, please e-mail Krissi Barr at:

krissi@barrcorporatesuccess.com

or see our website at www.barrcorporatesuccess.com