In an

earlier article I talked about the need to train people

and develop processes for employees to perform

successfully.

Several

people exchanged e-mails over how difficult it is to find

good people with good work ethics, attitudes and

communication skills. I had one reader who really has a

good grasp of reality. I think his message is worth

reading and thinking about. "I've enjoyed the banter

on attitude and motivation. Certainly, I'd prefer to hire

someone with a great attitude. I believe, however, we're

faced with a growing `good attitude' shortage." I'm

going to wade in over my head here so y'all pull me out

if I get too deep.

It seems to

me that our hiring pool in the future will not have the

work ethic we were raised with. I'm sure that's no news

to anyone. These kids who hear KISS (punk rock) on oldies

stations have a different worldview than we do.

They are

motivated differently than we are. Many were raised by

day care centers and came home to single parents. Many

are dating at the same time their parents are. Their

whole life has been one "entertainment baby

sitter" after another.

I believe

the successful businesses of the future will have a good

handle on how to direct the behavior of these attitude

basket cases.

We won't

have the luxury of hiring new people with the attitudes

and people skills we prefer.

That's why

I think we need to be learning how to elicit proper

behavior out of whatever personnel we have. Behavior, not

attitude, is what puts beans in the pot. Consider this

personal example:

I believe I

have a great attitude. I care about people and I love to

bring them together with the things they want or need.

That's how

I make my living and according to the numbers, I'm good

at it. However, it's not just my attitude that sells. I'm

sure I could just walk out the door in my Bermuda shorts,

unshaven, wearing a T-shirt and I'd be able to sell

something to somebody. It would be slim pickings, though.

I certainly wouldn't sell much that way.

So, I use

behaviors to "grease things up" a bit. Being

polite, using floor protectors and rugs, wearing neat

uniforms, properly writing work orders, using price books

ad infinitum are all behaviors that can be taught,

monitored and inspected.

Granted,

many of these behaviors are simply common courtesy but

apparently, common courtesy is in short supply these

days.

You might

be able to recognize my good attitude because it's almost

always there but you wouldn't be able to quantify it or

make adjustments to it.

That's up

to me. You can, however, document every little behavior

you expect me to perform. Further, you can demonstrate

that my performance rides on how well I execute the

behavior you expect.

Whether I'm

late for work because of a bad attitude or a flat tire,

the numbers will show that a late start usually means

missed opportunities. In other words, it's not the

attitude; it's the action (behavior) that determines

success or failure.

Have you

noticed that fast food franchises have pretty much

"behaviorized" every step of the selling

process?

From

"you want fries with that?" to the way they

wrap a burrito is all boiled down to a process. People

with good attitudes certainly excel but the majority of

the revenue is generated by gen-X kids with a blank

stare.

In our

industry, we have the same hiring pool. By providing

trouble shooting check lists and procedures (behaviors)

we can narrow down most technical problems to find a

reasonable solution.

Sure,

there's a desperate need for technical expertise as well

and those who have it will excel. But the majority of our

revenue can be generated by "average" people

who follow the rules.

By

implementing service call procedures (behaviors) we can

insure that our valuable customer gets the treatment they

deserve.

Again,

great attitudes will rise to the top but the majority of

our revenue will come from average people who simply

follow our rules. How well we develop and manage these

rules will determine how successful our businesses will

be.

I'll leave

you with this thought: Have you noticed the trend toward

consolidation? I thought so.

I think

part of the driving force toward consolidation is that

there are fewer and fewer business people out there that

understand how to develop their people.

Inability

to manage people (direct their behavior) could be the

biggest growth inhibitor small businesses face. After

all, if a business was growing, profitable and had it's

people working like a team, who would sell it?

So, if my

premise is correct, where do we go from here? If I'm out

in left field, where do we go from there? -RH

I think he

is right on target. The secret of success is learning how

to create the behaviors the business needs for success.

Gregory P.

Smith shows businesses how to build productive and

profitable work environments that attract, keep and

motivate their workforce. He speaks at conferences,

conducts management training and is the President of a

management consulting firm called Chart Your Course

International located in Conyers, Georgia. Phone him at

(770)860-9464 or send an email at [email protected].

More information and articles are available at www.ChartCourse.com .