Employers: Pick and develop good staff!

Last week, we were shopping for furniture; our needs were quite specific and we tried to explain them, first thing, to the salesman. He probably heard what we said, but didn't quite listen. He reacted to some of the product we saw in his showroom without trying to tell us more, to dig deeper and to make a genuine effort to find what would have been the perfect match for our needs.

He didn't know his product line well and missed out. Out of sheer luck, as he was asking his boss a question, she said, “by the way we have these models...” and that made all the difference. We found what we wanted, just by sheer accident.

The morale of the story: Employers, teach your employees better; don't be afraid to set aside time to train them in depth. First and foremost, though, make sure you pick the good team members; if a new hire proves unfit, have the courage to recognize the mismatch and move on.

On all these counts, no one quite likes the drill – employees and bosses alike – but the exercise is well worth the pain if a business is to become successful...