Ruth King
Contributing Writer
Profitability Revolution Paradigm

Some Contractors think money runs up hill. Do you? The answer might surprise you.  You put procedures in place.  In the beginning your team follows the procedures. Then a few fall off and aren’t caught. Then a few more.  Pretty soon less than 50 your employees comply with the procedures.  Even worse, some rewrite them the way THEY think they should be done (who’s writing who’s paycheck?)

Answer this:  How many times have you gone to a seminar, a class, a trade show and gotten really great ideas that will help your business?  You come back all excited and give instructions to change.  Your employees half heartedly make some of the changes and they think, “This will be back to normal in a month or two”.  And it is.  Your employees know better.  They know those changes will never fully implemented.  They resist the change and you cave.  Back to business as normal before that seminar.

Thinking that you can put procedures in place without making sure they are followed is like money running uphill.  Not likely.

So, what do you do about it?

First, you as the leader must realize that change is not comfortable for anyone, including you.  When the pain of staying the same exceeds the pain of change, then you will change.  People are comfortable doing what they are doing now and unless how they are doing things now becomes painful, they will give you lip service to the change and won’t do the new procedures.

Then, there are times that people won’t change. Remember the Peter Principle? People rise to their level of incompetence.  Notice I didn’t say can’t.  People can change.  They have to want to change.  How many people do you know of get diagnosed with cancer, almost get killed in an automobile accident, or experience another major catastrophe, get through it and totally change their lives?

An example in our industry is service technicians wanting to become service managers.  The skills to be a great service tech are totally different than the skills needed to be a good service manager.  So they want the title and prestige without making the necessary changes to be a great manager.  They fail and you lose a good tech.

Let’s make sure money runs down hill.  First, you need the procedures to implement. Then you need a task master who will ensure that the changes get implemented.  If you are not that person, then get someone either in your company or an outside consultant to help enforce the changes. Positive change can produce positive profitable growth.  Money can roll downhill.