When MSP and IT services business owners open their business, it’s usually because of their love of the tech work. The aspects of running the business, including marketing and managing staff often come later…and at a price.
So this week, I wanted to share a good question about employees that comes with a direct answer. Hiring the wrong people is stressful and expensive, this advice can save you time and money.
Q: In what ways do you motivate employees to be like owners?
A: You don’t. They’re not the owner – you are. If an employee had “ownership” mentality, they wouldn’t work for you; they’d start their own business.
A better question: How do you get employees to “own” their job so they deliver excellent performance and results?
That is doable, but you do that by hiring motivated people. Years ago, legendary football coach Mike Ditka spoke onstage at our Annual Boot Camp. Someone in the audience asked him, “Coach, what do you do to motivate your players?” Without skipping a beat, and in his usual gruff, blunt way, he said, “You don’t. If they need motivation, they’re cut from the team. Next question.”
There’s a LOT of truth in that. It’s not your job to motivate employees to show up on time and do their job well. If they’re not wired to automatically do that, they need to be cut from the team.
However, you CAN get people to own divisions of your company and grow the performance, profits and sales. But those people are not easy to find – and you have to find someone who shows up with batteries included and the skills, experience and drive to do that job. Further, YOU need to create a compensation plan that rewards them generously for excellent performance AND provide them the leadership and resources they need to thrive.
I recommend you read Jack Welch’s book Winning. In it he details the four E’s and the one P you need to have in leaders in your organization. Personally, I don’t know of a better book on the topic of leading and growing a team of leaders. I would also suggest studying his strategy of differentiation, which he was wildly criticized for. However, Jack grew GE 4,000% under his leadership using these principles and produced more CEO leaders of other Fortune 500 companies than any other organization. His principles work.
Join 1,200 of your most successful peers for three and a half days to get our most powerful strategies, templates and actionable blueprints to grow your IT services business at our upcoming IT Sales And Marketing Boot Camp. You’ll leave with new skills to market, manage and hire for your IT services business. Find out more take advantage of the $500 extreme early bird savings at www.RobinsBigSeminar.com
