Stop and think about this question – if you leave your phone at home, is there any question about whether you’d turn around to get it?  And, if you didn’t have your phone at home, is it possible you wouldn’t have gotten up on-time in the first place or known what time your meeting starts?   

Technology is taking over the world.  Unfortunately, it is hard to talk with real people sometimes when you need to ask a question.  Thus, it is worth considering the top priorities for people in our new, interconnected, global world in the New Year.  A few questions to ponder:

  1. Have you walked by your top performer’s desk lately to check in on him/her? Not an email.  Not a phone call.  Not a social media chat.  But an interactive one-on-one conversation?  
  2. Have you been upfront with your weak performers? Have you provided constructive feedback so that they know what to improve?  Think carefully about this question – will they be surprised if you show them the door with dignity if they struggle to implement the feedback?  If so, you better get on it!
  3. Have you picked up the phone to find out what is on the mind of your top customers?  Do you know what is important to him/her?  Do you know what you could do to improve their customer experience?
  4. Do your suppliers and trusted advisers understand where you are headed and why? If not, why not?
  5. Do you have some sort of pay for performance system in place? Or does the person with the most seniority regardless of value make the most money and receive the best bonuses?  Are you putting your money where your mouth is?  For example, if you are always saying your principles are important, if your top sales person doesn’t follow the principles from time to time, will he/she still receive the biggest bonus check?  What does this tell the rest of your team?

Remember, no matter how sophisticated and technology-rich your company, it will not run without people.  Perhaps one last – and most important – question should be:  

KEY QUESTION:  Do you see people as assets or expenses (overhead)?  How do you expect they’ll act?

 

© Lisa Anderson