ohiobeekeepers | Small Business Ideas

Archive for the ‘Management’ Category

Often businesses reach a point where they have to make substantial changes in their business for a variety of reasons. It can be difficult to implement to look after the operational needs of the company and also guide the employee’s through the transition to reach the new goals. To assist with this often change management services will be used which really helps make things flow much more smoothly.

The Starting Point

It begins with the creating of a change management system. One of the problems that can arise at this point is that everyone that the change is going to effect has a strong desire to be directly involved in the change structure. It is understandable because they know the new concept is going to affect them directly and they want to have some type of control over this. If this is allowed it can dramatically delay the process as it takes time to keep everyone up to date on each step of the new changes then receive feedback. This type of problem usually starts at the upper management level who are already bogged down with a heavy workload. Naturally changes have to be approved but ideally delegating an individual in authority to do this will keep everything on track.

Not having clear directives for the change management process can also be another problem. The changes have been discussed but are continuously changing. Nothing is finally decided on and the moving forward process is delayed. When this happens key issues about the change can be overlooked and forgotten about.

Keeping track of the change can be another really big challenge. The larger the company this is taking place in the bigger the problem. No doubt there will be many key people involved and who is doing what and when can be difficult to stay on top of. Handwritten notes, quick conversations in the hall and emails than end up in spam, are all small but important cogs in the wheel that can make the change a horrendous job when it doesn’t have to be.

The best step any company that is going to be making changes could do, would be to hire a professional change management team that is going to take total control of all the critical areas of the change program from start to finish. This relieves a lot of stress and can prevent the interruption of business during the process.

Every successful business should have a good idea about how to monitor all of its assets, whether they are tangible or intangible. Depending on the company’s size this may be difficult to do because of its many departments, locations or sheer amount of assets. Asset management is especially crucial for a company that has this much going on internal. Each asset should be tagged and scanned into an asset management system. This can be done by purchasing a commercial software package that is equipped to handle the needs of that particular company.

However, there is more to tracking assets than just scanning them into the system. They must be carefully monitored until they reach the end of the asset cycle, which is disposal. Basically, they must continue to provide value for the company or there is no need to have them around. The same thing applies to both large and small companies.

All assets provide some type of value. Whether it is the contemporary wall hanging in the middle of the lobby or the conveyor equipment that takes up most of the left wing of the factory, each asset has a value. One might think that the wall hanging is not as important as the production equipment, but this is not the case. It is a part of the welcoming package that the customer can see. A customer walks into the lobby, judges and makes a decision as to whether or not he wants to do business. The quality of the furnishings and accessories help to influence his decision. So, that wall hanging might seem trivial, but it actually helps to seal the deal with the customer. It too has a value that needs to be accounted for by management. A good asset tracking system will have the capability of tracking all types of assets, little or small.

When it comes to assets and companies, size does matter. A large company needs a good asset tracking system just like a small one. Companies need to account for their small assets just like they do their large ones. Basically, everyone has different requirements and needs and size is usually a huge factor. Quite naturally, not all companies will be able to use the same type of inventory management software or track their assets in the same manner.

This is why companies should do the proper research before investing in asset tracking software. Obviously, they are not all the same. There are some packages that are made for smaller companies that only need to track a few products at a time. This does not mean that these products are not valuable. This is where problems might arise. Usually these types of packages assume that a smaller company does not need the same options as a larger one. On the flip side, there are some packages that are made for larger companies and they have too many features that most companies will never use. The assumption is that a larger company needs these things just because of its size. Many times this is not the case at all.

All in all, size does matter when it comes to asset tracking. Everything must be tracked no matter its size. Also, all assets have value or they would not be in the system. It is up to each company to find an asset tracking system that matches its needs and requirements.

My business partner, Doug Watsbaugh, once distinguished an important difference between good bosses and bad bosses: Good bosses believe right now is the right time to take action – bad bosses wait for the “right” opportunity.

This got me thinking about a leader’s legacy. All of us, regardless of our position or place in a company, have the ability to leave a legacy. We all have extraordinary potential, it’s just a matter of whether or not we’re going to bring it out and leave it behind. What will be your legacy?

Let me rewind for one minute. Legacy can have a morbid connotation – we can think that legacies only linger after someone has died. But that’s not the case here – I’m talking about the aftermath of someone’s contributions. Employees can be promoted, leave a company, change directions, or do a number of things that give their legacy the chance to endure. So again, what legacy do you want to leave?

Doug was right: good leaders know that right now is the right time. And the reason they do is because they know that first-class leadership has so much more to do with the big picture than it does with them. They know that little things accumulate, they know that people matter, and they know that in the long run, the benefit of their contributions can last much longer if they make the most of what matters in the meantime.

John Maxwell says, “People will summarize your life in one sentence – pick it now.” I agree with this, and I also encourage you to pick a professional one-liner, too. In other words: Your team, your company and your peers will remember your contributions in one sentence – pick it now.

Are you wondering where to begin as you define the legacy you want to leave? Take your time and use these questions to generate ideas.

• When you’re at work, what do you do that makes time fly?
• What are your strengths?
• How do you think you help others at work?
• What do you value most about yourself as a leader?
• What leaders do you respect? Why do you admire them?
• What 3 words do you want to come to mind when others reflect on you as a leader?

It may seem trivial to take the time to define your leadership legacy – but you can’t take steps to become the leader you hope to be, if you don’t even know what that leader looks like.