July 2004

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=3 height=120 BGCOLOR="#CC3333" TEXT="#080000" background="099b85a3.jpg"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" ><B>Visiontheme</B></FONT><B>    </B><B> |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Visiontheme"><B>home</B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="_customer_care____myth_and_reality.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="November 2003">November 2003</A>   |   <A HREF="growth_is_the_key_to_survival.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="December 2003">December 2003</A>   |   <A HREF="january_2004.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="January 2004">January 2004</A>   |   <A HREF="id54.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="February 2004">February 2004</A>   |   <A HREF="id35.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="March 2004">March 2004</A>   |   <A HREF="id36.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="April 2004">April 2004</A>   |   <A HREF="id37.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="May 2004">May 2004</A>   |   <A HREF="id38.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="June 2004">June 2004</A>   |   <B>July 2004</B>   |   <A HREF="id40.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="August 2004">August 2004</A>   |   <A HREF="id55.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="September 2004">September 2004</A>   |   <A HREF="id56.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="October 2004">October 2004</A>   |   <A HREF="id57.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="November 2004">November 2004</A>   |   <A HREF="id58.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="December 2004">December 2004</A>   |   <A HREF="january_2005.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="January 2005">January 2005</A>   |   <A HREF="id62.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="February 2005">February 2005</A>   |   <A HREF="id63.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="March 2005">March 2005</A>   |   <A HREF="id64.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="April 2005">April 2005</A>   |   <A HREF="id65.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="May 2005">May 2005</A>   |   <A HREF="id67.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="June 2005">June 2005</A>   |   <A HREF="id68.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="July 2005">July 2005</A>   |   <A HREF="id69.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="August 2005">August 2005</A>   |   <A HREF="id70.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="September 2005">September 2005</A>   |   <A HREF="id71.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="October 2005">October 2005</A>   |   <A HREF="id72.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="November 2005">November 2005</A>   |   <A HREF="id73.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="December 2005">December 2005</A>   |   <A HREF="january_2006.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="January 2006">January 2006</A>   |   <A HREF="february_2006.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="February 2006">February 2006</A>   |   <A HREF="march_2006.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="March 2006">March 2006</A>   |   <A HREF="april_2006.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="April 2006">April 2006</A>   |   <A HREF="may_2006.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="May 2006">May 2006</A>   |   <A HREF="june_2006.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="June 2006">June 2006</A>   |   <A HREF="july_2006.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="July 2006">July 2006</A>   |   <A HREF="august_2006.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="August 2006">August 2006</A>   |   <A HREF="september_2006.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="September 2006">September 2006</A>   |   <A HREF="october_2006.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="October 2006">October 2006</A>   |   <A HREF="november_2006.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="November 2006">November 2006</A>   |   <A HREF="december_2006.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="December 2006">December 2006</A>   |   <A HREF="january_2007.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="January 2007">January 2007</A>   |   <A HREF="february_2007.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="February 2007">February 2007</A>   |   <A HREF="march_2007.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="March 2007">March 2007</A>   |   <A HREF="april_2007.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="April 2007">April 2007</A>   |   <A HREF="may_2007.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="May 2007">May 2007</A>   |   <A HREF="june_2007.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="June 2007">June 2007</A>   |   <A HREF="july_2007.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="July 2007">July 2007</A>   |   <A HREF="august_2007.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="August 2007">August 2007</A>   |   <A HREF="september_2007.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="September 2007">September 2007</A>   |   <A HREF="october_2007.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="October 2007">October 2007</A>   |   <A HREF="november_2007.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="November 2007">November 2007</A>   |   <A HREF="december_2007.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="December 2007">December 2007</A>   |   <A HREF="january_2008.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="January 2008">January 2008</A>   |   <A HREF="february_2008.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="February 2008">February 2008</A>   |   <A HREF="march_2008.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="March 2008">March 2008</A>   |   <A HREF="april_2008.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="April 2008">April 2008</A>   |   <A HREF="may_2008.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="May 2008">May 2008</A>   |   <A HREF="june_2008.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="June 2008">June 2008</A>   |   <A HREF="july_2008.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="July 2008">July 2008</A>   |   <A HREF="august_2008.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="August 2008">August 2008</A>   |   <A HREF="september_2008.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="September 2008">September 2008</A>   |   <A HREF="october_2008.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="October 2008">October 2008</A>   |   <A HREF="november_2008.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="November 2008">November 2008</A>   |   <A HREF="december_2008.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="December 2008">December 2008</A>   |   <A HREF="january_2009.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="January 2009">January 2009</A>   |   <A HREF="february_2009.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="February 2009">February 2009</A>   |   <A HREF="march_2009.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="March 2009">March 2009</A>   |   <A HREF="april_2009.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="April 2009">April 2009</A>   |   <A HREF="may_2009.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="May 2009">May 2009</A>   |   <A HREF="june_2009.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="June 2009">June 2009</A>   |   <A HREF="july_2009.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="July 2009">July 2009</A>   |   <A HREF="august_2009.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="August 2009">August 2009</A>   |   <A HREF="september_2009.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="September 2009">September 2009</A>   |   <A HREF="october_2009.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="October 2009">October 2009</A>   |   <A HREF="november_2009.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="November 2009">November 2009</A>   |   <A HREF="december_2009.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="December 2009">December 2009</A>   |   <A HREF="january_2010.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="February 2010">February 2010</A>   |   <A HREF="march_2010.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="March 2010">March 2010</A>   |   <A HREF="april_2010.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="April 2010">April 2010</A>   |   <A HREF="may_2010.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="May 2010">May 2010</A>   |   <A HREF="june_2010.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="June 2010">June 2010</A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#CC3333" TEXT="#080000" background="09a0c0e3.jpg"> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=360 width="100%" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <I>July 2004</I></div> <div> <I>The following article was first published in the Eastern Daily Press' 'The Business' on 20 July 2004</I></div> <bR> <div> <B>Looking after your most important assets</B></div> <bR> <div> If your business owns vital plant and equipment, you probably have maintenance schedules in place to ensure that it is kept in top condition at all times and never lets you down.  Any business that is highly dependent on sophisticated computers and neglects to look after its hardware and fails to protect the security and integrity of its data is flirting with danger.  If you run a fleet of vehicles, you almost certainly have them serviced regularly to guarantee their reliability.  Looking after the assets of a business properly is one of the most important things the owner can do.</div> <div>    </div> <bR> <div> Over the years, I've frequently seen posters on an office or factory wall that proclaim “Our people are our most valuable asset”. They're often right beside a framed copy of a wordy, yet largely meaningless `mission statement' designed, it seems, to satisfy the author rather than provide a focus for the business and its people.   Sadly, it's not uncommon for the people in such businesses to be treated with far less care and consideration than the equipment they operate or the computers they sit at all day.  </div> <bR> <div> They don't know much, if anything, about the overall goals of the business - because they've never been told what those goals are. They are not involved in generating ideas of how things can be done better in the future - because they've never been asked.   They don't know how well or how badly they are doing - because no-one ever tells them.</div> <bR> <div> I introduce many of my clients to a simple `Virtuous Cycle of Business' model where </div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700dc00000000.png" HEIGHT="15" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">the owner looks after the team, </div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700dc00000000.png" HEIGHT="15" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">who in turn look after the customers, </div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700dc00000000.png" HEIGHT="15" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">who look after the business, </div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700dc00000000.png" HEIGHT="15" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">which looks after the owner, and so on.  </div> <bR> <div> The primary role of the owner, therefore, is to create, maintain and enhance the environment in which their people work.  </div> <bR> <div> If you're serious about your people being your most valuable asset, think about a `preventative maintenance' programme for them:</div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700dc00000000.png" HEIGHT="15" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Make sure everyone knows what is expected of them, by means of a clear job description and an honest, improvement-focused appraisal system.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700dc00000000.png" HEIGHT="15" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Tell your team regularly how the business is doing, in as much detail as you feel comfortable with, and highlight the contribution they are making to its success.  People react strongly and positively to feeling truly informed about the organisation they are part of.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700dc00000000.png" HEIGHT="15" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Make the effort to recognise people's efforts - every day.  It really doesn't take much to say “Thank you” or to write a brief note (not an e-mail!) acknowledging something well done, but the impact of so doing is enormous.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700dc00000000.png" HEIGHT="15" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Just as you would inspect a machine, test a computer program or lubricate a vehicle, make sure you ask your people regularly how they are, what their problems are, what things they feel should be done differently and how you can help them to become even better.  </div> <bR> <div> Remember, other than your customers, your employees truly are the most important thing your business possesses.  Look after them well, because if you don't all of the other assets the business owns won't be worth much.</div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" width=180 BGCOLOR="#CC3333" TEXT="#080000"> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>