| Survival: The Name of the New Economic
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| | the old boys' network come into play. You
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| Game People rarely have a neutral
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| | need top talent who will produce results
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| reaction to Survivor, the reality based
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| | and help you through these uncertain
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| TV show. Love it or hate it, with 51.7
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| | times. Sometimes this means looking at
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| million viewers for the final episode of
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| | people who don't quite fit the mold in
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| its first season, it's impossible to
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| | terms of sex, age and race. Remember,
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| ignore it. Given our turbulent economic
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| | you're running a business and the name of
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| climate, Survivor is a powerful metaphor
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| | the game is survival. If you want to
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| for what's going on in the marketplace.
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| | surround yourself with people who can
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| We'll look at some of the parallels
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| | play golf and laugh at your jokes, join a
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| between Survivor and the real world.
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| | country club.Employ or OutsourceIn an
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| Then, we'll focus on survival strategies
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| | uncertain economic climate, the decision
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| to help your company get through the
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| | to expand your team should be weighed
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| rapid fluctuations of our turbulent
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| | carefully. Is there any point in
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| economic times.If your company has had a
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| | dramatically increasing your employee
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| successful year of growth and
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| | base to respond to new projects? An
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| profitability, you may be tempted to
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| | unexpected change in the financial
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| point your browser elsewhere. If you read
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| | stability of even a few of your key
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| on, you'll find that the survival
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| | clients can mean a bunch of layoffs a few
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| strategies we're about to discuss are
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| | months from now. Hefty payouts for
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| even more effective if you use them as
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| | benefits, severance and vacation pay can
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| preventative measures before your company
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| | substantially trim your bottom line.
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| runs into difficulty.The StakesIt's
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| | There is a pool of freelance and contract
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| tempting to laugh and shake your head
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| | talent available to handle challenges at
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| when you watch Survivor but the parallels
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| | all levels of the organization. Ask
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| to the real world are way too close for
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| | yourself:* Does this project really have
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| comfort. Just like the current economic
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| | to be handled by an employee?* Is
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| landscape, the terrain is rugged and the
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| | outsourcing a viable option?* Would we
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| competition is fierce. Some people will
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| | gain more flexibility by responding to
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| do anything to make it. We've all met
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| | this increase in business by using
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| Deb, the highly productive and competent
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| | freelancers or contract workers?* Can
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| employee who rubs people the wrong way
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| | tele-commuting be used as an alternative
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| and gets fired for her efforts. We've
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| | to increasing overhead in the form of
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| also worked with Gerri, the attractive
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| | office space, furniture, and computer
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| young woman, who will use any ploy,
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| | equipment?Ask your HR team to provide you
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| sexual or otherwise, to get ahead.
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| | with an analysis to compare the full cost
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| Alicia, the competent and assertive
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| | of filling a position with an employee vs
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| African-American employee who gets canned
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| | a contractor. Factor in the costs if
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| because people find her intimidating.
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| | there is a need to lay the employee off.
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| What would the corporate world be without
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| | The results may surprise you.Be
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| the inevitable employees who smile in the
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| | Compulsive About Customer ServiceWhen
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| face of co-workers and then cut them up
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| | times are tough, you can't afford to lose
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| behind their backs? Worst of all, on
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| | even one customer to the competition. If
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| Survivor, the posturing, rumours, gossip,
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| | one customer has a negative experience
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| and backbiting intensify as times get
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| | with a member of your team, that customer
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| tougher and the competition
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| | will tell dozens of people about it. This
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| stiffer.What's sad is that all of these
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| | can gradually erode your customer base
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| ploys, plots and schemes sap creative
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| | and trim your profits. This is not the
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| energy, kill morale, and undermine the
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| | time to cut back on training your front
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| effectiveness of the team at the very
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| | line employees. You need to ensure that
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| time when everyone should be pulling
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| | they have all of the training, tools,
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| together. When the stakes are high and
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| | coaching and support that they require to
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| you can't afford to lose, working as a
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| | deliver top notch service to your
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| team becomes a critical survival
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| | customers. That is what will give you the
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| strategy.On Survivor, make too many wrong
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| | competitive edge in this market.Remember
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| moves and you face starvation, the cold
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| | that customers come in all shapes, sizes
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| or injury. In the real world, it's
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| | and colours. You need to make it clear to
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| downsizing, layoffs and bankruptcy. As
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| | all members of your team that their
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| Vancouver-based 360networks Inc.
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| | biases and hang-ups belong at the door.
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| discovered, it doesn't take much. Just
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| | Every customer and every employee
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| one too many clients deciding not to go
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| | deserves to be treated with dignity and
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| ahead with a project or postponing a
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| | respect.Talent RetentionIn this turbulent
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| decision to use your services until next
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| | economic climate, there is a
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| quarter and it can be game over.Changing
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| | misconception among some senior
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| Times ... Changing RulesIn the real
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| | management teams that they no longer need
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| world, just like on Survivor, no one is
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| | to worry about talent retention. Even and
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| immune. Anyone can get "voted off" the
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| | especially if you have had to consider
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| island. For example, up until recently,
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| | such drastic action such as layoffs,
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| the wireless communications industry, has
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| | taking proactive steps to maintain the
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| been regarded as virtually recession
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| | loyalty of your best talent is critical.
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| proof. However, it has not been without
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| | If you treat some employees harshly
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| its casualties. 360networks Inc. was
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| | during downsizing, then your most valued
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| worth $25 billion when its stock was at
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| | employees will wonder if they're next.
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| its peak. Its stock tumbled to the status
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| | Their tendency will be to jump ship.
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| of penny stock on the Nasdaq when it was
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| | Frank discussions with your team about
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| not successful in obtaining a lucrative
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| | the direction of the company, it's
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| US$350 billion contract with Teleglobe
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| | challenges, and prospects are important.
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| Inc.Telesystems International, headed by
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| | It's best if employees hear the latest
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| Charles Sirois, considered to be genius
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| | news, good, bad or indifferent, from you.
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| with a string of success to his credit,
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| | Otherwise, the rumour mill will work
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| has lost 90% of its value. The telco
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| | overtime and undermine your efforts.
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| sector has been particularly hard hit. In
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| | Companies also need to shape and mould an
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| the Toronto area, two companies that were
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| | employee friendly culture so that your
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| headed by executives with stellar track
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| | best people will remain loyal to you
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| records and for whom I have a great deal
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| | until things turn around. During the last
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| of respect, have gone out of business.The
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| | recession, companies that took advantage
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| list goes on: PSINet Inc., an internet
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| | of the situation and made unreasonable
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| pioneer, has filed for bankruptcy
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| | demands of their team, sowed the seed of
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| protection in the US; Sony, Lucent, HP
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| | talent recruitment and retention
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| and 7.24 Solutions are among the
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| | challenges that plagued them for
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| companies that have announced layoffs. A
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| | years.Market IntelligenceWhen there is a
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| year ago who would have figured that such
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| | downturn, marketing is often one of the
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| high tech giants as Cisco Systems and
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| | first areas to be cut. Remember, Eaton's,
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| Nortel would have been tottering? Who
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| | a Canadian retail giant, went out of
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| could have predicted the meltdown? Small
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| | business because its senior management
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| businesses have been particularly hard
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| | team lost touch with their customers and
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| hit. I personally know of two consulting
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| | marketplace trends. To survive this
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| firms that have been struggling after
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| | economic crisis, you need regular and
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| over a decade of success.Survival is the
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| | accurate data about your customers and
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| name of the game in this economy. It's
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| | your market.What marketing strategies
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| tough out there so it's not hard to
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| | have been most effective in bringing your
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| understand why a show that enacts these
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| | new business?* Focus on those areas,*
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| dynamics metaphorically would appeal to
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| | Save money by eliminating efforts that
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| such a large audience.What's a Company to
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| | haven't been paying off.What are your
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| Do?So what's the answer? Truth is there
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| | competitors doing?One of the contributing
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| are no magic answers. Just some
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| | factors to the problems in the telco
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| strategies to consider. To survive this
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| | industry is that too many companies have
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| economic crunch requires a change in
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| | been focusing on the same narrow market
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| mindset. It involves recognizing that
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| | niche creating an over supply in the
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| what worked last year may not be the
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| | market.The real estate market is setting
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| right strategy for today. It will take
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| | itself up for a similar problem by
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| the courage to try something different, a
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| | building too many luxury condos for the
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| lot of support from suppliers, partners,
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| | upscale market.What new market niches can
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| and employees and, lots of
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| | you target?* The ethnic market is growing
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| prayer.RetreatYes retreat. It's
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| | dramatically in North America but you
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| impossible to come up with innovative
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| | would never know it when you look at most
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| solutions when you're charging around
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| | advertising campaigns.* The internet has
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| putting out the latest fire. It doesn't
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| | literally opened up a world of
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| have to involve going to a resort for a
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| | opportunities, even for small businesses.
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| few days. Save that for the party to
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| | If your traditional markets, are
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| celebrate your survival. If you really
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| | stagnating, look to areas of the world
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| feel you must get away, it's best to trim
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| | where there is growth and an increasing
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| it down to one day at a location within
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| | demand for your products and
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| 30 minutes driving distance from your
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| | services.Re-think Your OfferPinpoint your
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| office. Skip the golf and save by not
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| | core areas of expertise and do some
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| forking out cash for hotel rooms. When
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| | brainstorming to identify other areas in
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| the market is shifting so quickly, a
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| | which you can apply it.Bill Margeson, CEO
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| weekly 2 -3 hour session where you zero
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| | of Markham based, CBL Data Recovery
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| in on a key area is probably a better
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| | Technologies Inc. used to re-furbish and
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| plan anyway. Kick it off with a day
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| | repair hard drives. A drop in the price
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| off-site if you like but it's important
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| | of hard drives resulted in reduced demand
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| for your senior management team need to
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| | for his services. Bill applied his
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| get together to really analyze your
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| | expertise to data retrieval. In 2000, the
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| strategy in 4 key areas:* recruitment and
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| | company generated a profit of over
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| deployment of talent
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| | $1,227,000 and was ranked by Profit
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| * customer service
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| | Magazine as the 89th fastest growing
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| * market intelligence
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| | company in Canada.Harness the Creative
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| * talent retentionIf you have the skills
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| | Drive of Your PeopleEarlier I mentioned
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| to facilitate these sessions yourself,
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| | that there are no magic answers. However,
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| then go for it. Otherwise, take one of
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| | frontline employees who interact directly
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| your senior facilitators out of the
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| | with your customers are in an ideal
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| training room for a while, invest in
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| | position to give you some clues. By
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| facilitator training or hire a
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| | involving your people in regular
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| professional. It isn't always best to go
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| | brainstorming and problem solving
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| with the big guys. Remember, when you're
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| | sessions, you can collect a lot of
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| forking out $3500 a day to a large firm,
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| | valuable information and ideas to help
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| a huge chunk of that is overhead. Are
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| | you resolve some of the issues you're
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| they charging you senior consulting rates
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| | facing. For example, your frontline
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| and then sending you a rookie who they're
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| | employees should be able to help you
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| paying $600 a day? Then, you're helping
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| | generate strategies to streamline your
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| them solve their survival challenges, not
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| | processes and reduce your costs. This
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| yours. A consultant from a smaller firm
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| | could significantly boost your profit
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| who has regular and first hand exposure
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| | margin. Concord Idea Corp. ( number 42 on
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| to what it takes to win the survival game
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| | the Profit 100 ranking ) is able to
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| is more likely to bring you the expertise
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| | produce memory at 33% of the cost of its
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| you need at this time.I can hear you
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| | competitors. Its 2000 profits were in
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| asking "are you for real?" Absolutely! If
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| | excess of $800,000. It would be a shame
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| you can't free up at least 3 hours a week
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| | to overlook this virtual gold mine within
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| to focus on strategic issues because the
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| | your organization.The Bottom Line
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| latest technical glitch, customer or
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| | Survival involves:* getting a clear
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| employee complaint keeps landing on your
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| | picture of where you want to go,*
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| desk, it's a huge red flag that you can't
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| | building a management team that shares
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| afford to ignore. You need a super strong
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| | your vision and communicates it clearly,*
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| team at the director and management level
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| | getting your team to pull in the same
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| that's competent enough to handle the
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| | direction and generate valuable ideas and
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| latest crisis and keep you informed. If
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| | solutions.You'll reap the rewards in the
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| you don't have that, then you've just
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| | form of:* high morale,
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| identified your first area of focus for
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| | * reduced turnover,
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| your survival strategy sessions.Talent
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| | * a committed team focused on your
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| Recruitment is not an HR IssueDuring an
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| | goals,
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| economic downturn, companies often
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| | * an improved bottom line.When the
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| overlook the importance of a solid talent
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| | economy recovers, we hope that some of
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| recruitment strategy. This is not the
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| | these strategies will help your company
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| time to become complacent. An effective
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| | be a survivor.The Rules of SurvivorThe
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| team will be your important weapon in
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| | goal of the game is to survive. The last
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| your fight for survival.As a result of
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| | player to remain on the island at the end
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| the downsizing that's going on, a growing
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| | of the game wins $1,000,000. The game
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| pool of qualified, talented people is
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| | begins when 2 teams of strangers are left
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| available on the market. We haven't seen
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| | in a rough terrain. There is no
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| this in years. Organizations have the
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| | opportunity for planning before the game
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| opportunity to thoroughly screen and
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| | begins. Each team has minutes to gather
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| assess candidates to ensure appropriate
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| | whatever supplies they can grab and trek
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| skill level and corporate culture fit.
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| | across rugged terrain in search of their
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| Pinpoint the key competencies that you
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| | campsite. Exhausted and hungry, they must
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| require in your management team. Clearly
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| | work together to construct some make
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| define your requirements. Incorporate
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| | shift dwellings, get a fire going
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| behaviour based interviews, rigorous
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| | (without matches) and figure out what
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| reference checks and work samples into
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| | they're going to eat in the middle of
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| your talent recruitment strategy.Apply
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| | nowhere. The inevitable jockeying for
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| the same diligence to your promotional
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| | position and politicking begins almost
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| decisions. This is not the time to let
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| | immediately.
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