You probably feel that you shouldn’t have to “babysit” your employees. After all, the people that have been hired are all professionals. They know what has to be done. They don’t need monitoring, right? Is this a realistic . . .or an effective point of view? Remember, there’s a big difference between being a good manager . . . and babysitting.
Here’s some insights on this issue from one of our long term members:
Dave Bryan, president of Blackdog Builders, is about as hands off a manager as you could get. “As people came on and began taking responsibility for their work, I backed off. I’m not a micromanager at all. They knew what they had to do to get the job done.”
And while he believes this to be true in theory, he found that in practice more things fell through the cracks than he had anticipated. “There were critical elements that just didn’t get done – not because anyone was lazy or blowing it off,” he comments, “in fact it was just the opposite most of the time. They were so busy that certain tasks just dropped off the radar screen – they stopped being a priority and that was causing problems throughout the company.”
So to increase accountability across the board without having his managers forced into the uncomfortable role of policing individuals, David and his key managers created the Weekly Job Jamboree.
This whimsical name camouflages the critical importance of this company-wide meeting, during which all jobs in both the sales funnel and production are reviewed.
“Our goal is to make sure that the priority tasks are really being completed – to be really tight on our procedures as that makes a huge difference in our profitability,” says David.
During the meeting, key information for each job is projected onto a screen for all employees to view. Each salesperson and each project manager reports on the jobs for which they are responsible. “While we try not to single out any one person,” comments David, “at the end of the day, if someone isn’t getting the important tasks done, they are singled out.”
This level of tough accountability isn’t familiar to this company. “Because we didn’t want to radically shift from our core culture of individual responsibility, I tried to make it pleasant and fun and began to soften up on what we were going to discuss,” he says, “But my managers held firm. They said, ‘If we’re going to do it, let’s ask the tough questions and do it right.’ So we do!”
The Blackdog team is finding that their Weekly Job Jamboree, while focusing on the positive and their efforts to do things right, is helping everyone on the team focus on the tasks that insure project success.
This is just one more example of why Meetings are a best practice for the best remodelers around!
To learn more about the best practices that help some companies stand out from the crowd — in customer satisfaction, in building superstar teams, in attracting the best prospects, and in reaching higher levels of profits — then give us a call at 301-490-5620 x106 to find out more about the programs and services we offer. Whether you are just beginning in the remodeling business . . . or are at the top of your game, searching for peers with whom to interact, Remodelers Advantage can help! Click here and get started today.