Are You Growing Stars?

My husband and I have a practice of reading from Daily Guideposts at dinner each evening

. I thought you might like the reading from last week. It's written by Mary Lou Carney.

"At the restaurant where I like to eat breakfast, the waitresses have stars on their aprons to tell you how many years they've been dishing up oatmeal and toting plates of bacon and eggs for their clientele. Some wear three or four stars; this morning my waitress Trina boasted six stars.

As I left, filled with biscuits and gravy just like my mother used to make, I saw a young woman coming out of the kitchen. She couldn't have been much out of her teens. She was wearing the brown apron of a waitress, and I checked for the brightly embroidered stars.

Where they would have been were two words in bold script: Rising Star. Not Beginner or Trainee. Not New or Inexperienced. Not Good-Luck-with-Getting-Your-Order-Right. Rising Star, an affirmation of what they were expecting her to become; competent, efficient, outstanding.

I left the restaurant determined to give everyone the benefit of believing they can accomplish great things. Everyone - even me!"

Are you developing Rising Stars in your business or are they just Good-Luck-with-Getting-Your-Order-Right trainees? Are you laying out what you are expecting them to become? How do you set the stage for new employees, new contractors to become stars in your business?

Developing a 30/60/90 day plan for their training and the milestones along the way they should reach is the first step toward helping them to shine. But don't stop there. Keep your expectations clear - not in your mind, but on paper, where the employee and you can see exactly what you expect.

I often find that employers expect their employees to know they are supposed to fulfill orders or treat clients a certain way - because that's what the employer would do. But they aren't the employer. They don't have your background, your vested interest in the company. The employee has their own set of experiences. Prior employers most likely had different expectations than you.

Your employee most likely doesn't know this unless you're hiring mind readers. (I liked a recent "Medium" episode where Allison, the main character, heard a buzzer in her head everytime someone spoke a lie.)

So do your employees who've worked for you for a number of years need expectations and milestones, too? Absolutely! How do they know that you want them to eventually learn enough about order fulfillment to run the department? A set of expectations and milestones as part of regular employee evaluations helps employers avoid disappointments when they realize they haven't employed mind readers.

When you help your people shine, they help you achieve your goals!

by: Cheryl E. Cook

POST COMMENT

Soak in the ski mountain essence - Little Cottonwood Canyon You Want to Treat PE Granddaddy Of Them All Getting Back With Your Ex - Is It A Good Idea? Shift Your Goods in Hassle free way Ίνες Πολυπροπυλενίου Και Μπετόν:σωστές Και Λάθος Χρήσεις How To Buy An Ultralight Aircraft Maheshwari saree of Madhya Pradesh Restore Removable Drive Pied Cockatiel - The First To Develop The Colorful Mutations Of Cockatiels Say It with Sympathy Gift Baskets John Daly suspension John Daly Biography