Even with all the advances in technology at our fingertips - people are still the engine room of our businesses.
In James Collins book, ‘Good to Great’ about why so many companies are good but very few are ‘great’ he says that you need to get ‘the right people on the bus first’ and then figure out where you want to go.
Too often businesses follow the organic growth path, picking up people as they go along only to find many get off the bus because they don’t like where it’s heading.
Last November’s Sensis Business Index results showed confidence levels among NSW SME’s had grown by four percentage points in the August-November quarter, with NSW business confidence now sitting marginally above the national average.
So with confidence up, the economy strong and the employment market growing - the Professional/Managers sector in Australia alone returned to growth this year after a weak 2011 – how does small business make the most of this opportunity?
I think it’s time to give technology a back seat and put people back in the front seat of your business, after all let’s face it – most technology today still needs human interaction or management to make it work effectively.
Yellow Brick Road CEO and host of Channel Nine’s The Apprentice, Mark Bouris spoke recently with BRW on the subject of building the right team: “Every company is only as good as its staff and one of the biggest challenges a boss has to face is finding the right people to build a business,” he said.
Culture fit is probably one of the first prerequisites for finding the right person to join your team. McDonalds believes in ‘hiring the smile’ ahead of skills and experience as these can be taught but attitude cannot.
Recruiting for your organisation is a real investment both in time and resource. Whether you post your position online with Seek or engage a professional recruitment firm, the time you invest in the process will pay dividends back tenfold down the track.
Mark Bouris added: “Hosting The Apprentice was a great lesson in team building for me because every day the contestants worked to try to balance their own personalities with a bunch of strangers and find the best ways to work together. They had to develop the motivation to function as a team, to become a unit and to succeed as one. Sometimes it worked and other times it definitely didn’t but what I learned is that you can’t succeed or even function without finding a balance.”
April at The Sydney Hills Business Chamber has been dedicated to the theme of ‘people’ with key events throughout the month to help local businesses understand the importance of people in their business.
It starts with a business breakfast on Wednesday, April 10 that explores why business owners and managers need to strike the right balance between building their workforce and the need to grow, whilst carefully planning for the risks ahead.
Our Business After Five this month brings teams of two from local businesses together for the fourth Great Corporate Cook-Off at Woolworth’s head office, Bella Vista.
Things heat-up as teams learn the importance of working together under pressure as they each compete to prepare the best dish for the judging panel.
Add to this regular monthly workshops around networking, developing your 30 second pitch and a special ‘people workshop’ on April 29 to create a winning culture that inspires your team aligns them with company vision – and the platform is set for a premier Business Breakfast on May 8 with Mark Bouris at the Castle Hill RSL.
As a reader of WSBA you can attend any of these great evens too as a guest at our special member’s rate of $38.50. To register email info@sydneyhillsbusiness.com.au
Tony Eades is Chairman of Sydney Hills Business Chamber.
