Ukraine business owners are usually most discontented in two major spheres which are HR management and marketing. Why does the performance of these two functions rarely meet a leader’s expectations? What gives rise to the most unfavorable criticism? I would like to share 7 tips on how to deal with these discrepancies between your expectations and reality.
1) Having built their business, owners often come to the conclusion that they know and do everything best of all. This opinion is quite reasonable until their company keeps growing and developing without the need for a professional manager’s knowledge. Eventually there comes a time when you should start engaging experts with actual and practical experience in a certain sphere. It is crucial that you realize and accept this truth in time.
2) In some cases HR management and marketing are underestimated in terms of their role in a company’s advancement. These spheres seem less important than, for example, sales which generate income, or a company’s finance division responsible for accounting and cost optimization processes. However they serve strategic objectives rather than providing mere informational support or the sufficient number of employees. Business owners often tend not to delegate authority in developing marketing strategy or key employees’ recruitment to their underlings. This happens even despite the fact that they are rarely true professionals in these two spheres as such competences are not always a must for successful entrepreneurship. What makes matters even worse is the low expertise of the candidates available in the employment market.
3) Attitudes of owner and employee to business development differ radically. While the former is eager to devote himself fully on a 24/7 basis, the latter most often expends his efforts during a 9 am – 8 pm period of the day plus a lunch break. Of course, there are some exceptions which should not be viewed as a common phenomenon. A business owner should always keep this psychological nuance in mind when building a system of motivation and expectation from his employees.
5) Treat your employees with respect. That is actually an integral aspect of your personal marketing. It’s reasonable to recognize experience and the knowledge of your team as well as listen to their advice rather than give out orders. Otherwise – why did you hire them in the first place and what do you pay them for?
6) Trust is born out of respect. The more you trust an employee, the higher are his chances to contribute to the company’s development. Obviously, before delegating powers you should consider an employee’s level of qualification, presence of proactive attitude and eagerness to assume responsibility before delegating powers.
7) The remuneration system comes last. Try to put yourself in one of your underlings shoes to understand them better. Would you be willing to work on stipulated terms? Look around the employment market to see whether there are any other professionals willing to do the same job for similar pay. Finally, use your intuition to decide upon the best suitable candidate for each particular vacancy and on this basis which terms should be offered.