If you have had any of these thoughts as a small business owner or even a C Level executive, what actions did you take? Consider these ideas to turnaround some of your people challenges.

1. Communicate your goals to your employees.

   One of the most consistent behaviors that I see is that most employees do not know the top 3 goals of the organization.

   For example in a business of 5 employees, all 5 know the top goal, but 4 are clueless on the other 2 goals.

   What happens is that approximately only 25% of the combined energies are being directed both efficiently and effectively to achieving the desired results.

   The other 75% are wasting the existing resources while creating other problems such as stress, disengagement, poor productivity, etc.

   Workplace communication needs to be expansive and consistently reinforced.

   Business Coaching Tip: The lack of workplace communication and potentially a written strategic action plan are the real problems while the employees’ behaviors are the symptoms.

2. Reassess your training and development from a performance perspective and not a learning one.

   Most training and development focuses on the acquisition of knowledge and skills or learning.

   However, the re-do’s, such as tardiness, absenteeism, and poor results, are a result of the application of attitudes and habits or performance.

   The question is not do they (employees) know it, but rather do they want to do it?

   Yes, attitudes can be changed provided you infuse a developmental process within your training and development programs.

   Small Business Coaching Tip: The training and development programs are the problem. The behaviors of your employees are the symptoms.

3. Look at your operating systems or what I call Points of Potential.

   The operating systems within an organization include Processes, Position, Products & Services, Production, Procedures, Policies, and Progress (Time).

   For example, if you are a bank and want more business, you may wish your tellers to sell additional products. However, if this is not part of their position (job description), why would they?

Small Business Coaching Tip: Alignment must exist between the desired results and all operating systems.

Executive and Business Coaching Tip: Schedule an appointment with yourself and your executive management team to review each of these suggestions.

Then commit to writing specific business goals to overcome the real problems instead of addressing the symptoms of people challenges.

Is your business facing inconsistent or insufficient cash flow, lackluster sales to poor productivity?

Then do you have an action plan or are you Captain Wing It flying by the seat of your pants?