process Archives - Debra Kasowski

Many organizations are working toward building a culture of hiring diverse groups of people to meet the demands of their organizations. They are being asked to do more with less. The right people must be in the right job. The resources of time, money, and people are limited.

I had the opportunity to interview the Acting Sergeant of the local police service and discover what they look for when hiring their team. The police service looks at building a diverse team that they believe will draw on the strengths of the individuals and create a cohesive unit. In the police service, you want to know you have back up and someone has your back. Managers want to know that their direct reports are putting in their best effort and the direct reports want to know that their manager is going to support them when needed.

When it comes to driving an organization, the dilemma of between people and processes is like the “chicken and egg” scenario. Which comes first? We need people and processes to run an organization and serve the people we are serving.

You want to have the right person with the right knowledge, skills, and abilities in the right position. If you don’t, many things could go wrong. Deciding on the right hire is more than what is on the paper. You want to ensure you are asking the right questions to determine if the person you are interviewing has the knowledge, experience, and capability to fulfill the role. No matter the situation or position, there will always be a learning curve. There are many transferable skills and some skills that may need to be learned. Tasks, procedures, and policies can be learned but people skills need to be cultivated.

People skills matter. Organizations can be people driven and fail in process or process driven and disregard people. The downfall is that we don’t always look at what knowledge, experiences, skills, and abilities that the people who work with us have. Sometimes you’ll see companies look for outside consultants but they fail to listen to the people within their organization with years of experience. In my work with Appreciative Inquiry, the premise is that the people who work alongside of you have the answers you need to fulfill the gaps you may have identified to make your organization great.

Employees get frustrated when people who do not work the frontline try to explain a process to them without consulting the people it impacts first-them. Do you blame them? People want to be asked for their input – engaged in the process, especially when it impacts them. In a sense, this engagement would allow people to drive the process.

When it comes to process, you need to gain a firm grasp of your organizational needs, strengths, opportunities for growth, aspirations, and desired results in order to create a strong vision and a process that the people will buy into. For a process to have buy in, it must be predictable and repeatable – there must be consistency. People must understand the importance of a process and how a process works before they will have buy. In order for this to occur, you need a leader who can create a strong vision for the people of the organization and start the conversation of what needs need to be met to drive a process.

People or process -it is impossible to have one without the other but at the end of the day, we are the people and we are here for the people. The process is how we serve the people that we are here for. To improve productivity and performance, ask yourself the following questions (better yet – ask the people you work with):

How can I engage the people around me?
What processes exist and which need to be improved?
What can I do to improve my role in the process?
What processes need to be developed to create the vision for the organization?
What can I start doing to assist the process?

At the end of the day, we need to hire people who relate to people, engage others, and also understand the drivers of performance and processes to get the results that we want. It begins with people.

Who do you want on your team?

DEBRA KASOWSKI, BScN CEC is an award-winning best-selling author, transformational speaker, blogger, and Certified Executive Coach. She has a heart of a teacher and is certified in Appreciative Inquiry and Emotional Intelligence. She is a contributing writer for Diversity Magazine and Fabulous at 50 Magazine. Debra Kasowski International helps executives, entrepreneurs, and organizations boost their productivity, performance, and profits. It all starts with people and passion. www.debrakasowski.com

It would be great if all businesses ran like a well-oiled machine. Do you want to go on a vacation without worrying about your business?

Do you want to help your employees cope even if you are out from business for a day or more?

Remember it is about working on your business NOT in your business.

Implement systems and processes that will be efficient for your employees and convenient for your partners and customers.

When you have clear systems and processes you will be able to use your time accordingly and become more productive.

Courtesy of Michal Marcol/freedigitalphotos.net

Here is what you can do:

Create checklists

Are there processes that seem pretty routine to you? Creating a checklist can not only aid training new people but can act as a recipe for success!

Have a standard sales process for your company

When you decide on sales processes, consider the methods of delivery (will you post the goods or will customers collect them), payment methods (will you accept checks or credits cards?), Will you offer credit or cash only? Will your goods be returnable or not? Will you have guarantees and warrantees?

Use an effective accounting system

Not all entrepreneurs have the necessary skills to deal with numbers. An accounting system will help you set accurate service rates, file taxes, and manage your budget. Alternatively, you can hire an accountant who will handle all your accounting activities. Work where your talents lie!

Create a recording system suitable for your type of business

Bookkeeping is unique for every type of business. There are businesses that need tracking services for orders but some don’t. Ideally, you need a qualified bookkeeper who will analyze your type of business and come up with bookkeeping system and process that will ensure your records are always accurate and up to date.

Streamline and automate your company interactions with customers

A streamlined and automated system will save money and time for your customers. Business activities like social media and email campaigns, product orders and customer enquiries can help you run your business efficiently when they are automated.

Document your processes and make them easily accessible to other employees.

Create documents that outlines your business processes step by step, particularly for those task that you do every day. This will ensure that your employees perform some of your duties successfully in your absence. Decide on a central place where you will keep all documents for your company systems and processes so that other employees can access information easily and in the shortest of time.

Find an efficient payroll system

An efficient payroll system will help you manage your employee salaries and taxes without hassles.

The purpose of business systems and processes is to help you do more for less, hence every business needs them to be profitable. Enjoy your well-deserved vacation.

When Building Your Team What Comes First: People or Process?

Why Do Businesses Needs Systems and Processes?