You may be (or you are) the smartest guy in the\nroom, but are you smarter than you plus everyone else in the room? Collectively,\nyour employees have more experience than you do, and because they\u2019re immersed\nin the nitty-gritty details of daily operations, they know things about the\nbusiness that you don\u2019t. They know where\nresources are being wasted and they know what\u2019s working well and what\u2019s\nnot. So doesn\u2019t it make sense to harness\nthat knowledge and experience when you\u2019re faced with making difficult decisions\nand solving perplexing problems? Still\nnot sure recruiting the brain power of your workforce is a good idea? Please continue reading below and we\u2019ll try\nto convince you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s\nlonely at the top, isn\u2019t it?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n It\nis if you\u2019re trying make your company\u2019s toughest decisions and solve its\nknottiest problems all by yourself. Even\nif you\u2019re leaning on your management team for help and support, you\u2019re still\nignoring a great, untapped resource: your employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So\nwhat\u2019s in the way? Why wouldn\u2019t an owner\nor CEO want to get help when it\u2019s so readily available? Well, for one thing, seeking decision-making\nand problem-solving help, not just from the management team, but from people\nthroughout the organization, is kind of a new idea that the CEO might not have\neven considered. But there are other\npossible explanations:<\/p>\n\n\n\n While\nthese factors are real and must be overcome, the big stumbling block is culture\nchange. Most organizations today are\nstill mired in a top-down management structure whereby most meaningful\ndecisions and solutions are handled at the highest levels. Of course, we depend upon the lower levels of\nthe organization to implement decisions that are made at the top, even though\nthe lower levels played no role in crafting those decisions. That\u2019s the part of the company\u2019s culture that\nwill have to change. Top management must\nbe more inclusive and open its decision-making and problem-solving processes to\npeople throughout the organization. For\ntheir part, the people being invited into the decision-making and\nproblem-solving club must accept the responsibility and accountability that go\nalong with club membership. In addition,\nthese newest club members may be expected to execute decisions, since they now\nhave a hand in crafting them, with commitment and enthusiasm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe best ideas for improving a job come from those who do it every day.\u201d<\/strong> ~ Jim Bleech, business consultant<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Incidentally, in case the thought has crossed your mind, we\u2019re not talking about turning your organization into a democracy.\u00a0 We\u2019re not advocating putting every decision you make to a vote.\u00a0 As owner\/CEO, final decisions are still yours to make and yours alone.\u00a0 We think it makes sense to give your employees a voice<\/span><\/em> in your decision-making and problem-solving processes . . . but not a vote<\/span><\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Harnessing\nthe brain power of your workforce doesn\u2019t cost you anything. You\u2019re not adding anything to your payroll,\nso why squander a valuable resource that you\u2019re already paying for? Besides, as an added bonus, your people will\nfeel good about themselves, about you, and about the company because you\u2019re\nshowing respect for their thoughts, ideas, and opinions. You will have elevated them from mere\nemployees to trusted colleagues and advisors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How\nyou bring about this change in culture will vary somewhat from organization to\norganization. A large organization will\nlikely do it a bit differently than a small one. If you\u2019re running a 3-shift operation, you\nwill probably have some challenges that will not be faced by a nine-to-five\noperation. Likewise, if you have\nmultiple locations, you will face some difficulties not faced by companies with\na single location. Still, the culture\nchange we\u2019re suggesting here can be accomplished with any organization provided\nyou\u2019re committed to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If\nyou think the notion of bringing more brain power into your decision-making and\nproblem solving-processes has merit, but you\u2019re unsure how to go about it,\ncontact me . . . I\u2019ll be glad to help.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" You may be (or you are) the smartest guy in the room, but are you smarter than you plus everyone else in the room? Collectively, your employees have more experience than you do, and because they\u2019re immersed in the nitty-gritty details of daily operations, they know things about the business that you don\u2019t. They know<\/p>\n