I witnessed a wonderful moment the other day that I wanted to share with you all. As I positioned myself to park the car outside of a coffee shop, I noticed a young man at the side of the building washing a rubber floor mat.
As I approached the entrance to the coffee shop the young man was also walking towards the same door and gestured me inside. I held back as I could see that he needed the front entrance to be clear of people in order for him to complete his task. As he carefully positioned the mat on the floor, I made the comment that he must do this job frequently throughout the day given the state of the roads this time of year in Calgary.
It was at that point I was genuinely taken back by his response. In broken English he replied, “This is important to me. First impressions are very important. I want to keep this area as clean as possible”.
Stunning.
My first thought was that this was someone who I would hire in a second. I then wondered if the owner of that coffee shop knew what a special type of employee he had.
The effect on me as a customer is such that I will always remember that coffee shop. It will certainly be one of the first that comes to mind when arranging a casual meeting. Why, because saying you care is one thing. Showing me that you care has a completely different effect.
This situation got me thinking about the characteristics of an employee. What is the single most important factor to a Business? Education, experience? Perhaps. Someone who cares – invaluable!
Take a moment to think about that. Do you have employees who have this caring type of attitude? If you do then I hope that you continue to foster and reward that attitude.
There are business owners who I have meet who are not so fortunate. These owners are simply worn out and stressed having to deal with bad employees. You know the types, employees who do not turn up for work on time or who continually call in sick at a moments notice. Employees whose actions suggest that they really do not care about the work they are doing. Perhaps even worse are employees who treat owners poorly.
A few major effects of having poor employees come to mind.
- This relentless stress will over time, have some serious health effects on you as an owner.
- Your customers or clients will pickup on this “bad attitude”, which will sooner or later have a serious effect on your business and negatively effect its VALUE.
- Simply selling the business may not be option either. Most buyers will pickup on something not being quite right, either by looking at your physical and mental state or “feeling” the stress within the organization. In either case, finding a buyer for your business will be extremely difficult.
In summary, the difference between a business with bad employees and a business that has caring, happy employees – is night and day. One type of business will flourish, the other will likely destroy itself or worse – YOU.
Making changes to employees is not easy. I know this because I have been faced with this situation myself. The rewards however can be the difference between you loving your business or hating your business.
About the Author: Matthew Buxton specializes in helping business owners build Sellable, Financeable Businesses. He also completes Business Valuations, and helps people Buy and Sell Businesses. For more information please visit www.businessfinancecanada.com
