2012 is just around the corner. Before companies move forward, it is important during this final quarter of 2011 to become positioned for growth. Growth is contingent upon an informed, educated, committed and engaged workforce. For small businesses this may require a change in staffing strategy. If your cash flow and income projections are strong – it may be time to invest in a real team – persons to whom you can begin delegating significant components of your strategy to.
This isn’t an easy task if you’ve grown accustomed to operating on a shoestring budget that only accommodates temporary staffing, contract labor, work-for-hire resources or college interns – persons who have no real stake in long-term operational growth or performance goals. If you’re ready to change this paradigm, 2012 may be the year that you finally invest in permanent labor and get some real help! If this is you, you’ve picked a great time to add staff because you have a tremendous pool of talent to draw from.
You not only have access to the greatest resource pool of talented and qualified displaced workers in over a decade, you also have access to an extensive resource pool of disgruntled, overworked, under-appreciated employed workers too. Both of these resource pools are equally attractive because displaced and employed talent both understand how to operate in an inter-networked global economy and how to rely on social networking tools to communicate with colleagues all around the globe. Even further, they both know how to collaborate and work in teams, how to manage company resources as if they are personal assets and how to launch products. They’re dying for the opportunity to master new tasks and to foster transformative changes for new employers. The problem is they don’t know where to find you because they’ve just grown accustomed to shopping larger companies. Most of them have no idea how to seek out someone like you.
You have the benefit of hindsight working in your favor – you can avoid corporate missteps of the past and completely redefine the employee value propositions of the future without experiencing unnecessary inflated staffing growth only to migrate toward the organizational re-engineering practices witnessed this past decade. Mass elimination of entire departments and divisions through outsourcing, down-sizing, right-sizing and mergers at an accelerated pace need not be your fate. Instead, you can opt to grow at a steady pace by hiring a balanced number of permanent and temporary staff out the gate and thereby avoid the folly of doubling and tripling employee workloads without mercy after unnecessary displacing workers later on.
While many former employees became entrepreneurs like you many prefer to not assume the risk or responsibility associated with business ownership – this doesn’t make them bad employee prospects – on the contrary, these are the best ones because they won’t fight you for control of anything. They’ll just show up every day and do good work. Who could ask for more? Today’s talent are looking for legitimate companies to associate with where, if given the chance, they can channel creativity energy, skills and training. You need only select the persons who are the perfect fit for your team.
Leverage 2012 to position your company for exponential growth through a talent base who can take you where you need to go and use this final quarter of the year to firmly establish your strategy for next year. Don’t forget to determine how you’ll handle employee raises, incentives, bonuses, training, and other necessary resources remembering to be sensitive to your prospective new team despite the fact that (for the most part) they may have been neglected by current and former employers. This is your opportunity to flex your ethical muscles and stand apart. Don’t repeat the same insensitive practices advocated by your corporate counterparts by low-balling salary offers and by not providing benefits and/or other incentives.
Be considerate of your new team – truly invest in them without compromising your budget and reap the rewards of gaining a solidly qualified and loyal employee base that will not only pour their lives into your company but will take you to the next level. Have fun watching your business flourish! Happy planning!
About the Author:
Adrianne E. Ford, is a business consultant, university instructor and full time PhD student. She leverages over 20 years of experience as a Senior Manager, Marketer and Strategist in the telecommunications and nonprofit publishing industries to equip organizations, institutions of higher education and university students for 21st century transformation and globalization. Her consultative and teaching styles equip clients and students with emerging tools and techniques to thrive in this post recession economy. She incorporates humor, wit and integrity into techniques that have successfully transformed the hardest cases – companies, students and organizations toward success.
She motivates everyone to be empowered change agents and innovation advocates by leveraging her practical experience and academic knowledge together. She has received numerous community, professional and corporate awards for her achievements.
