Happy New Year! Today marks the beginning of another year, 2012. Last year some businesses made it big others didn’t, while others closed their doors. There is nothing as difficult as closing your business, it can be very painful. This year I hope that we can have the opportunity to start with a clean slate, so that we do not close down our businesses. Many companies closed for almost two weeks to celebrate the festive season, now that it is over-it is back to business as usual. Employees have rested and are refreshed; they are looking forward to new changes and challenges, forgetting all the difficulties they faced last year. To make sure that we do not close shop this year, there are a few resolutions that can help a business man put his best foot forward. Get Strategic – whatever happened last year happened and there is nothing one can do about it. It is best if bitter experiences are left behind and try to create a new vision for the future and the legacy you want to leave. Make sure the challenges are bold but achievable. Get Ahead - Give your heads of departments a chance to seat at the board table if possible. If they don’t have the business acumen skills, teach them so they can become a more strategic part of the organization. Cultivate their talents and understand the importance of finding and nurturing great leaders. Employee engagement has an impact on business success, if you don’t have a strategy, create and implement one. Be creative – do not be satisfied with the status quo of your organisation. It is time to start looking at embedding a culture of innovation as a strategic way forward. Strive for exceptional results and your employees will follow. Be inspirational- Employees need to be told that it is not all about bringing in more money, but the ability to do their best at whatever they are doing. Once they know that their employer is not really money minded, then they work even harder and results will be seen in record time. Start talking – Create an open door policy, in that employees can be engaged in conversations to bring up new ideas. You never know sometime even the tea girl can tell you something of importance. This will build their self esteem and be confident in what they do, the results of which will be beneficial to your company. Stay connected and be practical- Every employer must be in the know as to what is going on with the employees. If the employees are not in good terms and are in tension, find a break through and talk to them, having people work together when they are not in talking terms can impact on the company negatively. Create a sincere and sustainable way to solve issues between them and appreciate them where need be. Get emotional – Your employees must follow the Vision and Mission of your company. They must also be Passionate, be engaged, be creative, have a shared purpose, collaboration, risk and sincerity. If they don’t have all these, they are in the wrong place, fire them if you have to. In business, nothing comes automatic, some rules and tips have to be followed, starting by the business owner trickling down to the last employee to make the company a success. Happy New Year 2012! kayitesius@yahoo.com
