Too Many Hats, Not Enough Heads

Rumor has it that smaller staffs, with people wearing more “hats,” is the new normal since the economic downtrend. Perhaps this is not very far from the truth. You no longer see bank foyers dotted with desks; instead they have installed “pods” that you step up to, rather than sit down to perform your financial transactions. Self-checkout lanes have become commonplace, and the days of (real life) grocery tellers asking you how your day is going as they scan your groceries and send them down the conveyer belt seem to be numbered. Doing less with more, combining two or three jobs into one, buying into the latest software or electronic gadgets to help the workplace become more efficient, or simply getting more from the fewer employees you have is where the business world is headed.

In a downturn, people look to improve upon roles and responsibilities that they already have. “The economic pressures of the downturn forced companies to re-examine everything they were doing and come up with a new model,” said Harry Griendling, CEO of DoubleStar, a human resources consulting firm. No matter how you say it, the underlying idea is asking for more, but offering less.

This is a good concept in and of itself. But do all of us really need to go down this road? Rumor also has it that the economy is in an upturn. Most economists predict U.S. employers will add about 2.4 million jobs this year. But the Economy is not set to fully recover until around 2014. In the meantime, how does one make sure the many hat wearing workers continue to increase the profit and productivity of their employees in today’s economy? How do those who hold jobs, keep their jobs and increase their value to add tenure in an organization? Instead of buying into the latest gadget, you go back to the basics, like your people and your bottom line.

John Villere said, “Your bottom line starts with your front line.” Sounds like a good place to start to me. CMOE’s Bottom Line Leadership specifically targets front-line leaders, mid-level managers, and senior executives to help organizations build these skills and increase the energy they’ll need to accelerate performance improvement throughout the organization. Once your people in your organization know how what they contribute, effects the bottom line, you will know how to improve your contribution and in essence, wear another hat. Bottom Line Leadersip teaches businesses how to use the resources that they currently have at their disposal in a smarter way.

So get back to the basics: metrics, knowledge base, performance. You will find that the practical application of the most basic processes will gain you the fastest results.