Follow Your Employees Home
Michael Gerber, renowned author of the highly acclaimed book, The E-Myth Revisited, is a very opinionated man. Colleagues have told me they didn’t enjoy listening to him present. This caught my curiosity and so, the next time he was in town, I made sure to attend his event.
My expectations were low. I knew he was in town to promote a new book and a specific program so I kept this in mind. However, his promotional pitches were interlaced with some very interesting stories. The one I liked the most was the one about taking your employees home.
Michael was speaking to the owner of a McDonald’s franchise in the U.S. The owner was expressing frustration about the high staff turnover at his location. After discussing some of the issues, Michael said, “Have you ever followed your employees home?”
Of course, he didn’t mean to literally tail your employees all the way home. What he meant was: Do you know what life is like from the perspective of your staff? Do you know where they live, who they live with, or what challenges they face on a day-to-day basis? It’s possible some of the employees from this particular McDonald’s are teenagers living at home, helping support their family, going to school or living in deep poverty.
It’s important to put yourselves as business owners in the shoes of your customers so you can connect with them on a deeper level, and the same rings true for your staff. Employees (or contract providers) are vital to the success of your business. Taking the time to connect with them and understand what makes them tick is incredibly important. It sets the stage and tone for the work environment both internally and externally.
Do you have any interesting stories to share on this topic?