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Everything I Learned in Business I Learned from Kids TV

A comment from a reader last week really struck me. It referred to “potential for chaos” in their outcome with outsourcing. Wow! I have never experienced that in my business, though I have witnessed it first hand in my last J.O.B. It really got me thinking what caused that chaos.Coincidentally, I was watching TV with my son that day and noticed that his favorite show had a coveted prize called “Chaos Emeralds”. I learned that when these emeralds were possessed by someone who valued chaos: fear and hatred, they took on negative qualities. When those who possessed them valued friendship and growth, they took on positive qualities.How interesting that we need to revisit our children’s world to assess ours.Here’s my take on what works and doesn’t when you delegate or bring on an important team member.

We Start Out Inherently Nice: When we were kids we started out playing well with others, but then peers and society leached into our worlds and we began our assimilation. The people who assimilated with power and charisma became leaders. As a leader with a need to grow, you must focus on more than just the tasks that will get you to your goal.The person you need is equally important. If you want to avoid turnover, you should consider not only what they can do for you but if they do these things, how can you help them grow within your organization before you bring them in.

“Greed Is Good” or is it? Gordon Gecko made that phrase popular and now look where it is getting some of its fans: in jail, fleeing the country or face down in swimming pools. Karma is a very strong law. It may take a while, but it will find you if you abuse it.Off shoring is a perfect example of this. Recently, I had service issues with phones. That company uses off shore customer service. I usually don’t mind, but I was berated by one of their people when he didn’t understand my problem. My distrust falls to the company, not the operator. So, was his low hourly savings worth it? Maybe not, because we’re considering moving all our services now.

Let’s Attract Failure – Shall We: My last boss was a perfect study in delegation failure. She lived for chaos. Anything less wasn’t work to her. She delegated vague tasks, claimed to give people ownership, then intimidated or fired anyone who needed clarification.She liked to rule, not manage. If you are approaching the people you are adding to your team from a chaotic place, “I desperately need help,” or you want instant results without guidance and training you are attracting failure. If you cannot take time to lead – don’t. New people – no matter their level – need guidance and permission to make mistakes in the beginning.

Don’t Rush – It Will All Work Out: If there is a mantra I can share it’s that one. My team is growing daily. There are days when a new team member doesn’t do something correctly. When that happens I stop and ask myself, “What process did I forget to train?” If it’s not something I have documented for the future, I handle it right away. If it’s a people issue, I call a reset meeting to make sure we’re on the same page with that task. Different levels of professionals have different training needs. The one thing they all have in common is your goal. If you cannot be clear and take time to train, re-train and cross-train you are going to feel the chaos. Plan to rid you business of chaos. (Try to keep the emeralds!)

Your comments are always welcome! Thanks for reading!

Paula Pollock is Director of the Pollock Marketing Group, further assisting good companies in becoming great through outsourced marketing services with her team of professionals. PMG fully embraces and encourages a the flexible workforce model. You can sign up to receive her bi-monthly Lean Business Solutions newsletter at www.paulapollock.com