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Suggest You - Hidden Consultants Within Your Organization
Having been a business consultant for over 20 years I have seen (what appears to be) every business idea, under-funded startup operation (including some of my own) under the sun. And probably 80 percent of them failed. Basically, the reasons are always the same… an overestimation of the market and sales and underestimation of costs. The other primary reason for failure is that people simply lack business knowledge to make good decisions. They spend an inordinate amount of time reinventing wheels from the spokes up, most of it based on guesswork and wishful thinking. They simply did not have the proper foundation of knowledge to handle the workloads required of starting the business and they crumbled under the onslaught of information requirements to effectively handle business startup, management, marketing, sales, implementation of technology, accounting, law, hu
Bias
Second, we think employee and customer opinions are biased and therefore unreliable. We think they are trying to advance their own personal agendas. For example, an employee just wants to do that project because it would make his job bigger. Or a customer wants us to improve our service because she won’t take responsibility for problems in her own company. Sometimes personal bias will color an opinion, but we don’t take the time to sort out the motivations and get to the truth of the matter. Instead, we
So, you finally had that job interview. You know the one. The interview you tried so hard to land. The interview for which you prepared so hard? The interview you know you nailed? It's all over. You can sit back, relax, and wait for the phone to ring with a job offer. Right? Wrong!Winning a job interview is the first part of the battle. Performing well in the interview is the second part of the battle. Now comes the third part of the battle: The follow-up contact.But, "wait a minute," you say, "won't I look desperate if I follow up?" Well, yes, if your follow-up is a phone call saying, "oh please, oh please, oh please hire me. I will die if I don't have this job!" That would be desperate. A simple thank-you note is showing interest and keeps your name alive.Here are a few tips on what to do after your job interview which can help increase your
Why listen?
The best reason for listening to employees and customers is that they have a detailed understanding of your company's problems. They're close to day-to-day operations so they see what's happening and what's wrong. When you implement their ideas they’re committed to success because of their personal involvement. The result is a fast implementation of change, with a high probability of success.
So why don’t companies listen to employees and customers? Based on my own experience, here are the primary reasons why companies don’t take advantage of their hidden consultants:
No Clear Summarization
First, we don’t hear recommendations from employees and customers in a clear summarized way. We interact so much with these people that the recommendations aren’t separated out from everyday comments. A profound statement is dropped casually into a conversation on another subject, and we miss the importance of the statement.
When I'm working as a consultant doing interviews with employees and customers, I often hear significant statements, but I notice them because I’m listening for them. My brain is focused on gathering important information, and so I’m able to separate out the irrelevant stuff from the important things. Most people don’t listen that way on a day-to-day basis.
Then, after I’ve heard an important statement and verified it with others, I’ll figure out the best way to convey the statement to my client. Sometimes the issue with accepting a recommendation isn’t so much the recommendation itself; it’s how the recommendation is presented. Important truths have to be presented in a way that makes the client see the light without taking offense. Employees and customers don't often use appropriate summarization and presentation techniques, and so we reject their recommendations.
Bias
Second, we think employee and customer opinions are biased and therefore unreliable. We think they are trying to advance their own personal agendas. For example, an employee just wants to do that project because it would make his job bigger. Or a customer wants us to improve our service because she won’t take responsibility for problems in her own company. Sometimes personal bias will color an opinion, but we don’t take the time to sort out the motivations and get to the truth of the matter. Instead, we
Home business is ideal. It allows people like you and me to stay home with our families. To be able to work when we need to and not when our boss tells us to. It allows a freedom that no other business offers.Home business can be the fit that you’ve been looking for. And there are so many options and opportunities available. There is a plan for a home business that will fit everyone, the only thing holding people back is the finding of the opportunity that will fit.Weeding through internet opportunities can be time consuming. There are thousands of places and sites on the internet that are claiming to be the perfect opportunity. They say they have the right option for you. They claim to know exactly what you are looking for, and that can be a problem.Obviously, they don’t know you. They don’t know what you are passionate about; they don’t know wha
Why listen?
The best reason for listening to employees and customers is that they have a detailed understanding of your company's problems. They're close to day-to-day operations so they see what's happening and what's wrong. When you implement their ideas they’re committed to success because of their personal involvement. The result is a fast implementation of change, with a high probability of success.
So why don’t companies listen to employees and customers? Based on my own experience, here are the primary reasons why companies don’t take advantage of their hidden consultants:
No Clear Summarization
First, we don’t hear recommendations from employees and customers in a clear summarized way. We interact so much with these people that the recommendations aren’t separated out from everyday comments. A profound statement is dropped casually into a conversation on another subject, and we miss the importance of the statement.
When I'm working as a consultant doing interviews with employees and customers, I often hear significant statements, but I notice them because I’m listening for them. My brain is focused on gathering important information, and so I’m able to separate out the irrelevant stuff from the important things. Most people don’t listen that way on a day-to-day basis.
Then, after I’ve heard an important statement and verified it with others, I’ll figure out the best way to convey the statement to my client. Sometimes the issue with accepting a recommendation isn’t so much the recommendation itself; it’s how the recommendation is presented. Important truths have to be presented in a way that makes the client see the light without taking offense. Employees and customers don't often use appropriate summarization and presentation techniques, and so we reject their recommendations.
Bias
Second, we think employee and customer opinions are biased and therefore unreliable. We think they are trying to advance their own personal agendas. For example, an employee just wants to do that project because it would make his job bigger. Or a customer wants us to improve our service because she won’t take responsibility for problems in her own company. Sometimes personal bias will color an opinion, but we don’t take the time to sort out the motivations and get to the truth of the matter. Instead, we
Oh how the human spirit longs for greatness!Remember, a time not so long ago, when the child within looked out into the world and saw nothing but a playground. It surely was a place, where everything was possible. Accomplishment was only constrained by one’s imagination. All dreams could become reality.Family values and hard work were a normal part of life. Self esteem was something that could rarely be taken away. Self determination and perseverance was always expected to overcome adversity and lead to success. A magical time indeed!There are those who profess these times are gone. Tow the line, follow the rules and don’t dare to be different. What a sad mantra to follow. Change is inevitable and the world, as a whole, is growing smaller. Economic conditions are reflective of activities within all countries. So with these changes, why not take
No Clear Summarization
First, we don’t hear recommendations from employees and customers in a clear summarized way. We interact so much with these people that the recommendations aren’t separated out from everyday comments. A profound statement is dropped casually into a conversation on another subject, and we miss the importance of the statement.
When I'm working as a consultant doing interviews with employees and customers, I often hear significant statements, but I notice them because I’m listening for them. My brain is focused on gathering important information, and so I’m able to separate out the irrelevant stuff from the important things. Most people don’t listen that way on a day-to-day basis.
Then, after I’ve heard an important statement and verified it with others, I’ll figure out the best way to convey the statement to my client. Sometimes the issue with accepting a recommendation isn’t so much the recommendation itself; it’s how the recommendation is presented. Important truths have to be presented in a way that makes the client see the light without taking offense. Employees and customers don't often use appropriate summarization and presentation techniques, and so we reject their recommendations.
Bias
Second, we think employee and customer opinions are biased and therefore unreliable. We think they are trying to advance their own personal agendas. For example, an employee just wants to do that project because it would make his job bigger. Or a customer wants us to improve our service because she won’t take responsibility for problems in her own company. Sometimes personal bias will color an opinion, but we don’t take the time to sort out the motivations and get to the truth of the matter. Instead, we
Employment agency is an individual service behalf of a human resources organization or placement organization. This is kind of service for purpose of placing unemployed or job seekers for career growth and service to employer, who need candidates as employees. Agency gets commission basis remuneration based on the service and effort providing.The objective of an agency is to follow and provide a quality service. As clients are only source of earning and the job seekers are the only resource of work, so the quality assurance is the key factor to retain the service consistently. The agencies have the skill and confidence in their ability to manage the human resources for whom they are responsible. They agencies have to offer various professional management packages to the employers too. Each service packet must have good input the employers as per needs. They have to wor
Then, after I’ve heard an important statement and verified it with others, I’ll figure out the best way to convey the statement to my client. Sometimes the issue with accepting a recommendation isn’t so much the recommendation itself; it’s how the recommendation is presented. Important truths have to be presented in a way that makes the client see the light without taking offense. Employees and customers don't often use appropriate summarization and presentation techniques, and so we reject their recommendations.
Bias
Second, we think employee and customer opinions are biased and therefore unreliable. We think they are trying to advance their own personal agendas. For example, an employee just wants to do that project because it would make his job bigger. Or a customer wants us to improve our service because she won’t take responsibility for problems in her own company. Sometimes personal bias will color an opinion, but we don’t take the time to sort out the motivations and get to the truth of the matter. Instead, we
A learning organisation is an organisation that learns and encourages learning among its people. It promotes exchange of information between employees, hence creating a more knowledgeable workforce. This produces a very flexible organisation where people will accept and adapt to new ideas and change through shared vision.It is said that the only constant in life is change and organisations are not spared. Change brings about not only uncertainty and risks but also opportunities for growth. Those organisations that can manipulate the information available have a bigger chance to succeed. It is therefore important for everyone to be more knowledgeable about the work environment they are in. Building a learning organisation is a means to a business goal. It is not a new theory but a concept that has become an increasingly widespread philosophy in modern companies, from th
Bias
Second, we think employee and customer opinions are biased and therefore unreliable. We think they are trying to advance their own personal agendas. For example, an employee just wants to do that project because it would make his job bigger. Or a customer wants us to improve our service because she won’t take responsibility for problems in her own company. Sometimes personal bias will color an opinion, but we don’t take the time to sort out the motivations and get to the truth of the matter. Instead, we just tune out the employee and customer comments, throwing out valid suggestions because we think the source is biased.
Reluctance
Third, we have made it pretty clear to employees and customers that we don't want their advice, and as a result, they are reluctant to offer it. They see us criticize ideas and shoot them down, and they see us label idea creators as rabble-rousers and troublemakers. In such an unsupportive environment, they have determined that it’s best to keep their heads down and their ideas to themselves.
Other reasons
Here are some other reasons I’ve run across:
• Some managers don’t want to acknowledge that their own employees can be more knowledgeable about a subject than the managers are. The managers forget that the employees (a) are usually closer to everyday problems, and (b) have had a life before working for this manager, and so they have other experience to bring to the table.
• Managers sometimes feel that giving an employee a strong say in an issue will be viewed as “giving up control.” We forget that we aren’t in control anyway. At best we’re leading and steering, and certainly we’re accountable, but the employees who do the work actually have control over the process—not the managers.
• There’s a feeling of “you get what you pay for,” so we feel that a low-paid employee can’t provide as good an opinion as a high-paid consultant. This is a narrow viewpoint, but it feeds the families of many consultants.
How to use your hidden consultants
So what can you do to take advantage of these hidden consulting talents? Here are some suggestions:
1. Help your hidden consultants learn how to focus. Provide training for your employees and customers in techniques that help them find the root cause of a problem, determine possible solutions, and put together a plan to solve the problem.
2. Provide a way to get feedback from employees without you being biased by the source of the feedback. Create a method for employees to submit suggestions and ideas anonymously, but with a way to subsequently identify the suggester if you want to provide a reward.
3. Identify someone (internally or externally) who is good at summarizing and presenting. Have that person summarize employee and customer feedback and present it in the way that an outside consultant would.
4. Have a pro
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