12-10-2012
It?s that time of the year again, so much to do, so little time. While the holidays and year end can be stressful, it is a great time to get prepared for next year. Here are two of the most important things you can do to prepare.
First, review all of your job profiles, ranging from receptionist to your own. Are there things that aren?t being done that need to be assigned to someone? Are your current descriptions adequately and fully covering what skills are needed to be successful and laying out expectations of the positions? Does each person really understand what they are responsible for doing and when?
One of the top reasons for turnover is the lack of communication on what is actually expected of someone in that position. Many companies have had to reduce their head count and assume that someone is picking up the slack, when in reality those tasks get lost in the shuffle. Often someone who has been around for a while assumes what their duties are, but often has no clue. Recently I talked to a station manager who was concerned about a salesperson who couldn?t close, so I inquired what the sales manager was doing to help get her trained. His answer amazed me! He hasn?t gone on calls with her or done anything to help her. They were going to let the seller go. Whoa! With the time, effort, and money invested in a new seller, it makes sense to try everything before letting them go. That sales manager needs to have it stated in his job profile that an ongoing condition for his employment is to train sellers to overcome their weaknesses.
Often this exercise can help determine if you have the right people on your team and can help determine how many people you really need on your team.
Second, prepare for individual reviews with each staff member. Does your job description accurately describe all that is expected in each job? If someone is not doing what they need to be or not hitting their numbers, are they putting in the effort that you have deemed crucial for success? Are they making the required amount of calls? Are they keeping internal notes updated so you can review? Are they doing enough proposals for business?
An exercise that can work very well, is to have each one of your employees write up what they feel is their job description. Confirm you are on the same page. It is also good to have a form for each annual review, have them fill it out on themselves so you can compare it to your review of them. It is a great way to open conversations and gain buy-in on what needs to be done to succeed.
Last but not least, don?t forget to examine what is on your desk. Are you able to handle it all or do you need to delegate? Consider having staff fill out a confidential review of you to see where you can improve!
Laurie Kahn is Founder and President of Media Staffing Network and can be reached at 480-306-8930 or via e-mail at laurie@mediastaffingnetwork.com. Visit the Media Staffing Website.
