WHO GIVES LEGS, WHEELS & FLIGHT TO YOUR STRATEGY? - DEAR EXECUTIVES, IT'S YOUR PEOPLE, TREAT THEM RIGHT!

WHO GIVES LEGS, WHEELS AND FLIGHT TO YOUR STRATEGY? - DEAR EXECUTIVES, IT'S YOUR PEOPLE TREAT THEM RIGHT!

Strategists are sought highly everywhere, men and women who can assess, understand, diagnose, recommend and implement strategic plans for the success of businesses. However strategy alone is not good enough no matter how excellently articulated it is. There is need for it to be executed as tactics i.e. smaller tasks at every level within the business set up.

 This is where the success is made or broken because implementation involves working through other people. In business people are found in three categories namely, shareholders/owners, the management team from the CEO down to the lowest ranked supervisor and the Employees/labour force. These three groups need to collaborate effectively for the realisation of strategic goals, however the first two are reliant on the cooperation and understanding of the strategy by the third group which are the employees.

It is the employees who give legs, wheels and flight to our strategic goals as management teams and shareholders. They are the cutting edge of our management tool. It is for this reason that they deserve to be treated right with fairness, dignity and respect.

Some tasks require an individual to
walk around a huge plant reading meters daily from point to point gathering very important information, others require another individual to
drive a heavy haulage truck over long distances even crossing borders with consignments of our product to clients, further to that other tasks require a pilot to fly the executives and shareholders in the private jets for the important meetings all over the world where more strategic decision are taken which still rely on foot-soldiers for execution.


So we realise the importance of the employees and how critical they are to make or break a business. Maybe break is a an extreme term although still a reality, we can consider efficiency instead. The efficiency of a business in implementing strategy is significantly reliant on the employees and as such results driven organisations take care of their human resource and capital as an important pillar of the business, fully equipping and continuously developing the skill set and improving operating procedures in a balanced manner for mutual benefit.

Well cared for employees have a sense of ownership and goodwill about the business, they ensure it is a going concern as much as the shareholder does or even more because they appreciate the investor's choice in putting his/her money where their skills and professions are required. It is more collaboration than simple employer - employee relationship. There is common good and understanding that the rewards are different for each party involved yet all parties deserve what is due to them.

Employees are the faces of our organisations and points of contact with the external environment especially the market. The brand and reputation of a business lies significantly in the hands of its employees who deal with clients daily
through the various business mediums and channels. The role of good sales representatives, receptionists and PAs cannot be over-emphasised towards the external end of the business set up. Equally so, the role of responsible operatives who use up the materials and equipment invested in by the shareholder to produce quality goods and services as efficiently as possible must be appreciated.

The commitment of employees is not a given, as much as contracts demand it, it is voluntary on the employees part. However a good work environment where the employees feel valued, appreciated and respected they voluntarily go beyond the call of duty with no effort on the management and shareholder's part. They know fully well that the business' success is their success too!

It is important therefore for executives and shareholders everywhere to realise that sacrificing the employees well being and welfare issues in the name of cost-cutting and saving is detrimental to their success in the long run. When employees talk about welfare issues most employers interpret it as demanding perks, yet they are simply talking about necessities for humane working conditions where morale is high and people work with motivation and zeal.

No matter how efficient and effective  we are as business executives we can only do so much on our own yet we can harness the effort of others to execute just as we would on our own or even better by engaging competent, passionate and talented employees and treating them right because indeed they are the legs, wheels and flight of our business strategies.

THE GOLDEN WORD FOUNTAIN - (TGWF)