Randy Joy & Co.

This weekend the handle on my big white deep freezer fell off.  Actually, it was falling off for a while like a child’s tooth just waiting to rip off from its base.  Then finally the handle fell off completely and instead of being disappointed for the change, I actually smiled.  Once I cleaned up the area it looked so much better without the handle.  The handle’s purpose wasn’t there anymore for a long while,  but I had ignored it and left it dangling uselessly.  Now it was gone, and so much the better, for if it didn’t serve a purpose.

The same is true in your business.  At times things change and you end up not dealing with it.  You have that employee who isn’t pulling his or her weight.  Then comes the final change, the employee quits.   You might  smile and marvel out how that miraculous event cleaned up a mess faster than you would have dealt with it.

And then, I questioned myself.  Why didn’t I remove the handle before it finally fell off with clang?  Or, better yet, try to secure it in place before it was so completely disattached from the freezer body?

There are leaders who lead and constantly bring on change and as they grow some employees do not grow with there companies.  There are also some leaders that constantly brace themselves and try not to change because it feels too risky.  Like me, they see the dangling handle and look the other way.  They feel it is too hard to fire people, and so they leave hanging ends all over the place.

I prefer to seek out change and steer my own company because then I choose the long term destination.  The next time you notice something that is not aligned or secured properly to your company vision, deal with it right away.  If it can be fixed, so much the better.  And, if not, no need to have loose ends waiting to unravel on its own.  Deal with it right away.

Tags: Business Consulting Expert Advice, ensuring employee accountability, firing inept employees, Human Resources, realiging your work force