I saw my first wild alligator yesterday.
This was a big deal to me. I am originally from up north by the Canadian Border and there are no alligators up there.
I have heard horror stories about alligators my whole life. About how fast they are, how big and strong they are, and most of all how deadly they can be.
In short, they were the unknown, and by and large, the unknown can be scary.
Unknown in the world of life kingdom is strikingly similar to unknown in the business world and our personal worlds.
Marketing plans, if you have never had one, and alligators, if you are not familiar with them, have the common theme of causing fear or at least extreme uncomfortableness.
The solution is to become familiar with the unfamiliar and watch the fear begin to go away.
To many, small business marketing is a great mysetry that causes anxiety and uncertainty, and when I write about marketing to our labor force, a lot of eyes glass over and people really don’t get it.
The labor force has changed and as business owners, we need to change with it.
To build a high performance team we need to build it from the ground up, and the foundation needs to be based on what people need and want in the workplace. In the past many business owners feared asking this question for fear that the demands would be too far reaching to be practical.
In my experience this was not a fear ground in reality. What most people want are the little things that make their daily lives easier and more convenient.Very seldom is more money a motivator.
We need to reach out and have conversations in order to understand our employee’s needs. We only know if we ask.
Then it’s our job to provide it. If we can’t provide it, we need to explain why and seek another, as similar as possible, solution. An open, honest, transparent attitude, and communication style carries the day. The employee needs to know they have been heard.
To them this would be a world class experience.
Remember: You only get results if you act on your ideas. Do it now!