Best consultants you can hire

Back in 2008 during the “Great Recession,” the

CEO of a major Northeast Ohio organization was faced with a $2.5 million dollar shortfall in profitability due to the economic conditions. Like many companies throughout the region and nation, he and his leadership team had some tough decisions to make relative to cutting expenses, including the prospects of significant layoffs.

While many companies were letting people go, this CEO decided to meet with his entire workforce of over 2,000 employees and openly communicate the financial challenges the business was experiencing. He shared that he had no desire to lay off even one employee and needed their help in addressing the expected financial shortfall. Within two days of that meeting, the CEO told me he received over 100 suggestions and ideas from the company’s employees on how to prevent layoffs, reduce expenses and increase sales.

The organization implemented nearly 50 of the ideas resulting in no layoffs and an increase in sales and profitability through the duration of the recessionary period. To this day, that CEO says that asking his employees first, before making some really gut-wrenching employment decisions, was the smartest move he ever made as a corporate leader.

What a great lesson for all organizations to involve management and non-management employees in the business. Some of these conversations might be difficult, but people appreciate transparency from their leadership and to have a say in the company’s operations, strategy and future direction. Company leaders that discount nonmanagement employees’ input are missing a great opportunity to get critical feedback and ideas from the very people that make the business run. Management decisions made in isolation, without employee input and behind closed doors are decisions made without the benefit of complete data.

To ensure that everyone’s voice is heard in your organization, consider the following:

MBWA – This acronym coined decades ago, MBWA (Management By Walking Around), still represents one of the best ways to stay in touch with employees and truly understand their ideas, concerns, needs and thoughts. If you are a company leader, consider a daily walk around the office and/or plant. What you will learn and who you will get to know better will be more important than anything you have on your “to-do” task list.

Town Hall Meetings – Also known as “Fireside Chats,” these small informal gatherings of a crosssection of employees with the CEO are fantastic opportunities to have open and direct dialogue about the business.

Suggestion Box – An opportunity for employees to articulate their ideas in writing. Incidentally, this only works if all the suggestions are read in a timely manner, and regardless of the idea’s merit, feedback is provided to all employees on each idea submitted.

All Employee Meetings – Treat these events, even if they are remote, just like stockholder meetings held by publicly traded companies. Again, full disclosure about the business financials, operations, strategy, etc., are really important to keep everyone informed with factual data.

Hopefully your organization might be utilizing some or all of the approaches briefly described above, and/or utilize other ways to engage direct and honest two-way dialogue about your company’s successes and challenges. There is truly no better way to sustain your organization’s success than to ask the best consultants you have already hired – your employees.

Company leaders that discount non-management employees’ input are missing a great opportunity to get critical feedback and ideas from the very people that make the business run.