Do You Have the Right Tools?

Do your employees have the right tools to effectively do their jobs? If not, what are the negative impacts of being ill-equipped?  Your company can have a strong foundation (culture and employees) but ultimately may fail to deliver the goods (desired client outcomes and profitability) if the tools used aren’t getting projects and jobs effectively completed on-time and at-or-above expectation.

To use an illustrative analogy, it pays to buy the right tools for your home

In late 2008, we hired a company to construct a two-level outdoor deck system that was nothing short of legendary.  The foundation was impressively over-engineered, the deck itself enormous by any standard and the project ended up being very expensive.  But… everyone loved the deck and it probably was the #1 reason our old house sold in one day.  Having invested in this gargantuan deck system, you’d think I’d be smart enough to invest in the right tools to maximize our investment.  But, you’d be thinking wrong! #PennyWiseAndPoundFoolish!

In the spring of 2009, we purchased a BBQ grill so that we could host summer deck parties.  Instead of buying a higher-end Green Egg or Weber BBQ, we purchased a low-end Char Broil grill, which turned out to be nothing short of a disaster.   Within a year, the grill was rusting throughout, the searing element stopped working, temperature control was poor at best and the burners failed on a regular basis.  Because this grill was simply awful, we didn’t have many deck parties. In this case, purchasing the wrong tool (BBQ grill) produced a bad outcome (few outdoor parties) and we ended up under-utilizing our new deck.

Fast forward to yesterday morning and we had a new Weber grill delivered to our new home.  We are using it for the first time on Tuesday and are excited to finally have the right tool (BBQ grill) necessary to entertain outdoors and cook dinner without risking a disaster.  I learned the importance of using the right tools at home.  Why don’t you use this analogy and apply it to your business! Some companies fall into the trap of sufficiently investing in company culture and people while under-investing in the right tools. Don’t let this happen to you!

Are you buying the right tools for your business?

Tools take many form.  Using office technology to illustrate, is your company using a modern CRM system? Are the laptops still using Microsoft NT? Is your Wi-Fi running at the lowest possible speed?  If you don’t think there is a cost to operating at a slow or ineffective pace, it’s time to think again!

When it comes to improving productivity tools, processes and systems, what is your company not taking advantage of, which results in precious dollars being flushed down the proverbial toilet each and every day?  Do you know the answer to this question?  If not, what is the cost of ignorance?

The time to take action is today

To take a positive step forward, ask your employees what tools they need to do their jobs most effectively.  Then, invest the money and give employees what they need.  Your employees will appreciate the fact that you listen and care.   Your company’s bottom line will thank you for taking action.  Your clients may also notice the difference!