ELECTRONIC HOUSE CALL - October 22, 1999

A MINOR RANT
Jeremy Pinder, a subscriber from Australia raised an interesting point after my October 15 newsletter ("Who's Running Your Business?, www.restaurantdoctor.com/ehc/ehc88.html). He said, "Because I am in the recruitment business I also get calls on a regular basis asking "where can I find good staff". It annoys me, but I just tell them that they are asking the wrong question. What they should be asking is "how do I take the staff that I've got and make them better?"

A note from the Doc:
Jerry has nailed it. Stop whining! You already have the kind of people you need. If they are not performing up to your standards, whose fault is it? They asked for a job, you gave it to them! You need to look at who is responsible for performance? If you place the burden on the staff, you are at their mercy. It is not going to change until they change. However, if you accept that your job -- maybe your most important job -- is staff development, then training and performance become YOUR responsibility . . . and that you can do something about!

Remember that to change work performance, change the work environment. The idea that "the floggings will continue until morale improves" is not the way to build productivity and motivation. (It is, however, a great way to increase staff turnover, decrease sales volume and destroy your health!) For more on this idea, see my book, "There's GOT to Be an Easier Way to Run a Business" Information is on my website under Books and Materials.

ALL THINGS IN TIME
While we are on the subject, my colleague, human relations consultant Robert Kausen, shared these ideas on the subject of training and development: He said, "This past summer, George Seifert (former coach of the San Francisco 49'ers, currently coaching the Carolina Panthers) told me that he does not have the talent base at this point in time to make it to the Super Bowl -- this year. However, he is taking the same approach he did in San Francisco. He is building an organization with as much talent as he can afford, and developing them into a team with a spirit that will increasingly attract even better talent."

A note from the Doc:
Good people like to work with good people . . . and dirtballs like to hang out with dirtballs. The majority always rules. As the quality of your staff improves, the whiners and complainers tend to leave because they don't get any peer support. How are you stacking your deck?

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