Knowledge Center

Why become organized with Outlook? Because the tools it offers can help you master the myriad and an increasing number of tasks you undertake each day. Disorganized people suffer more stress, become less effective, and are less valuable to employers. To stay organized, subordinate your emails and stay focused on your calendar.

There is a general understanding that computers make life easier. This is a fallacy; computers are data storage, processing, and data transmission tools. We have always had to manage data, our time, and communications. Digitization has, however, dramatically increased the speed of these processes. This means we have far more data in the shape of requests, queries, and shared information arriving in our inbox. The Adobe Email Usage Study, published on Sep 12, 2019, found that Americans spend up to 3 hours a day checking work emails.

here used to be a time when the papyrus reeds had to be cut and dried in the sun. The berries picked and squashed. The feathers plucked. Once the scroll had its instructions scribbled upon it, some poor blighter had to run, ride, or even sail for a significant amount of time to deliver the message. The same amount of time was needed to reply, and thus the pace of life was perhaps more agreeable. Of course, that is unless the British Regulars are on the move and your name is Paul Revere. Then maybe a horse would be more useful. Assuming you do not look good with a beard and overalls or a homemade dress and bonnet, it is essential to find ways to control the beast that is the digital age and not be consumed.

Another mistaken belief some people have is that they can multitask. This is also a misconception.

David Barkus discounts this myth in Psychology Today (Nov 15, 2018) and cites how several studies explain that we do not perform multiple tasks simultaneously. Instead, we switch between tasks quickly, like juggling balls in the air. This practice is ruinous to focus and concentration. 

The height of concentration is when you lose track of how much time has elapsed since you began a task. This state is named “flow,” and it is one of the most productive conditions to be in, according to Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, a Hungarian-American psychologist.

Eisenhower won WWII (with the help of the long-suffering allies) using an “Urgent and Important” filter for all incoming tasks. Urgent and Important gets done now. Important and not Urgent gets put into the future. Urgent and not Important:” I’m sorry, why are you bringing this to me?”

Having dispelled a couple of myths and introduced two proven methods to be effective, here is some advice garnered over the transition from the analog 1980’s to the digital 2020’s.

Well Organized People:

• Spend more time on important actions.

• Spend less time reacting to urgent and unimportant C.R.A.P. (Cannot Realize A Profit) issues.

• Deliver better quality work and create less cleanup for colleagues.

• Enjoy increased control over their work, are less stressed and more able to enjoy free time. 

• Increase their value to the company they are working for.

The Four Tools of Microsoft Outlook:

1. Email – Communications: Send, receive, and save communications.
2. Calendar – Big Actions: Manage yourself and those around you.
3. Task Pad – Small Actions: Assign and control small tasks.
4. Address Book – Directory: Keep details accurate and quick to access.

Note: MS Teams is evolving into the central tool. But should stay subordinated to your calendar.

Email:

A common mistake made by many is that an email must be responded to within 15 minutes. This is untrue and will often fill your day with mindless busywork while you neglect the big important things that you will no doubt be measured on during an appraisal. Remember, your boss will assign the most important tasks to you in meetings. She will use the phone if it is urgent. Emails convey the details already agreed.

A rule of thumb (check your company policy) for a reasonable response time is as follows:

• Papyrus scrolls via the seven seas – 6 months (not as useful as horses if “the British are coming”)
• Email – up to 8 business hours (depending on your role, customer service can be 2 hours)
• Voicemail – up to 4 business hours (again, depending on your role)
• Pounding on your door/ workstation – right now!

Remember that your meaning is not perfectly understood via emails. The tonality, body language, and timing are missing. Ensure that you concisely explain the context and who should do what and when. Some characters think that once they have sent an email that their part of it is over. This is untrue as communication is comprised of four parts: sending, receiving, comprehension and agreement. An email is just a written expression of the first part in the process.

Always empty the non-essential emails from your Inbox at the end of the day. This way, you will clear the clutter and focus on the emails that need to be addressed.

If you develop a comprehensive filing system, it will be easy to retrieve anything you wish to review later. Remember, the Search function will help you find any email.

The Four D’s:

This system is a way to approach a full Inbox and quickly reduce the volumes methodically.

1. Do it: This applies the ‘handle each piece of paper once’ approach.
2. Delete it: If the email is significant enough to warrant action, if not delete or archive it (CYA)
3. Defer: The message in question might be necessary but not urgent. In this case, do not sit on it and occasionally prod it, but drag it (literally) into your future calendar where it belongs.
4. Delegate – Leaders drown if they do not delegate. This does not mean losing control; instead, instructing, teaching, trusting, and sharing.

Email Tips:

• Write clear, concise messages with a background, what requests on which individuals and when.
• Add all relevant information such as product codes, descriptions, invoice numbers, dates, etc.
• Remove “I, YOU, ME” especially from ANGRY emails. Sit on them overnight before sending.
• Type a short message in the subject line and then “END.” This way, the receiver knows there is nothing in the body and does not waste time opening it.
• Use CC, BCC reply to all only when necessary – we do not all want a copy of everything.
• Do not Reply All. To stop people from being able to reply all when you send a mass email: 

     TO: your email only and BCC: all groups lists and individual respondents.

• Drag and drop emails into the Calendar to make appointments.
• Schedule time to deal with your Emails – 5 times per day maximum.
• Clean up email strings. Write a summary and add your comments or requests and delete all else.
• Set Up Rules – non-urgent or sensitive info goes into folders you can review later/never.
• Use the Archive function to save emails you may need fourscore years later.

Email Ribbon Options:

The Ribbons at the top of each screen are one-touch buttons to help navigate and manage the data.

Often many of these functions can be found elsewhere can always be accessed through File/Options.

• New: Email, Appointment/ Meeting/ Group/Contact/ Task or Teams Meeting.
• Delete: Ignore (current and future), clean up redundant messages, Junk, delete, and archive.
• Quick Steps: these are useful shortcuts and can be set up using “create new.”
• Move: move or copy a sent email back into the inbox if follow-up is needed.
• Tags: Categories can be used to highlight and differentiate types of tasks (admin, sales, personal).
• Find: an invaluable function that will accelerate the time to retrieve information.
• Add Ins: Translator/ Drobox/CRM’s (Salesforce/HubSpot)/ Click-Up/Concur (expenses).

View:

• Settings, Screen view set up: Arrange columns (by Attachment, From, Subject and Fonts).
• Messages: The order emails are in. Choose chronological over the other nonlinear groupings.
• Message Preview: A two-line view allows you to gain insight into the content without opening it.
• Arrangement: Organize emails by date, from, to, flag status and categorize by color.
• Layout: Set the Folder pane to “Normal” with tighter spacing. Switch the “Taskbar” off because it is less important work, and you don’t want it cluttering your desk (can be retrieved later).

Folders:

• New/Actions: Create new folders and move them around. Alternately, Right-click in the folders.
• File/ Options/ Mail/ Save Messages/ Save copies in the sent folder: so you can retrieve them later.

Deletion:

• File/ Options/ Advanced/ Check the ‘Empty Deleted’ Items when exiting Outlook for a clean desk.
• Uncheck Warn Before Deleting: they are still retrievable if needed.

Spelling:

• File/ Options/ Mail/ABC/ Always check spelling: Minimize distractions for the reader.
• Suggest alternates, English (USA/UK) dictionary.

Reminders:

• Turn them all off. Ringing bells and whistles ruin concentration and the flow state.
• In Windows: Action Center/manage notifications/ turn all off or work offline (Send & Receive).
• Use your phone alarm/ vibration if you have an event(s) you must not miss.

Rules:

• Home/ Rules/ New: Set up rules that will automatically move files into specific folders (or delete) to read later. For example, unimportant or confidential emails.
• To color-specific message text: View/View Settings/ Conditional Formatting/ Add New Rule/Font/ Choose Color/ App/ Select types of messages.

Archive:

• File/ Options/ Advanced/ Auto Archive Settings: Choose 30 or 60 days – you can recover them.
• Archive emails that you may need in the future. This way, they are retrievable and off your desktop.

Calendar:

The calendar is an organizational tool and a means to focus, prioritize, and defend your time. My Outlook first opens to the calendar where the Important and Urgent action items are. Here are the activities that push you or your company forward. Emails are usually someone else’s less important waffle. If you are already at capacity and your boss wants to give you more work. Open (or share) your calendar, and together you can decide which tasks to push into the future, which to delegate or delete, and which tasks are ‘Urgent and Important.’

Tips:

• Push non-urgent items into the future (clean desk). If you get ahead at any time, you can always reach into the future and get them done early!
• Endure you predict a realistic amount of time, add travel, breaks, and project completion time.
• Avoid butting up meetings back to back or conflicting with others’ commitments (use scheduler).
• Schedule time each day to manage Outlook.
• Use categories to color code your entries by activity type. It provides a quick view as to where you spend most of your time.
• Double click on the calendar and set up the subject, invite attendees, date, and time (or drag an email into the Calendar and drop).
• Attach files into appointments or meetings using ‘insert.’ This way, everything is in one place.
• Book resources/rooms.
• Privacy: some appointments do not need a public view. Use the ‘Private’ Icon or right-click. 

Ribbon:

• New: Meetings or appointments.
• Teams: video meetings, OneDrive, SharePoint, meeting recordings, text conversations.
• Arrange – Use the workweek to get more space and can focus on work unless you are seven days.
• Manage Calendars: Share your calendar with those you work with to manage expectations.

To Set Up Your Calendar:

• File/ Options / Advanced / Outlook start and exit: See your important work first, email second.
• File/ Options / Advanced / Uncheck reminders: These are distractions.
• File/ Options / Calendar / uncheck default reminders: Flow interrupters.
• File/ Options / Calendar / set up work times: When can others share your time. 
• File/ Options / Calendar / allow attendees to propose new times for meetings: Fair is fair.
• File / Options / Calendar / add holidays: Know what dates not to organize a meeting.

Tasks:

•  Not urgent and not important items – so they don’t get allocated a lot of time.
• You can place tasks on another person; this is controversial, better to send an email requesting something than just delegating.
• These can be reminders to do things or even think about issues.
• It is also a place for odd bits of information you might need later but will most likely delete.

Contacts:

• Add full details, including spouse, children, and interests.
• Categorize people by company and department.
• Share contacts and create groups to increase efficiency.

Conclusion:

According to McKinsey, emails will use a lot of your valuable time (up to 28% of the average US worker’s day) with very unproductive issues. I am still yet to hear a client, leader, or colleague say: 

“That individual is really going places. She sends a cracking email!”

Focus on the calendar where you have to opportunity to achieve great things. ‘Plan your work’ using the calendar, then turn off as many distractions as possible so that you can ‘work your plan.’

Investigate and try different settings in the Outlook setup options (File/ Options/ General or Mail or Calendar or Advanced). 

As in most tasks in life, preparation is key. If you set up the structure and learn the most useful ‘one touch’ buttons in the ribbons, you will increase your control and create more time to prepare.

Remember that Outlook is your tool and not the other way around. Turn it off when you don’t need it. Set yourself a task, complete it, and then check Emails, Tasks, Teams requests, Texts, Carrier Pigeons, and all the various other “Ping” methods that people use to interrupt your focus with their “Urgent” but not always “Important” issues.  

Staying up to date with whatever everyone is watching on TV or laughing at their tacky memes will keep you popular with the less productive members on your team. It will also dramatically reduce your inherent value to your employer.

The more time you spend doing quality work, the happier you will be, and the more time you will have for personal interests and time with your loved ones.

Cogent Analytics, LLC is a business management consulting firm, with a primary focus to help small to medium size, privately held businesses achieve success and long term profitability. Cogent provides powerful solutions with integrity and transparency to privately-held businesses throughout the United States.

In today’s global market, it is becoming more complex and competitive to efficiently and effectively run an organization. 

This article will address some key principles which need to be considered by leaders when designing organizational systems.  

Systems Thinking

Systems thinking is comprised of three types, including mechanistic, organismic, and social systems. 

Leaders of organizations using an overarching method of systems thinking enable themselves the opportunity to be flexible and rapidly able to change their management styles to react to changing business conditions and situations (Skarzauskiene, 2010). System thinking involves using all three types and being flexible to adapt to changing business conditions and situations.

Leaders also have to be responsive to their employees and cultivate a business environment that promotes creativity, growth, training, and development (Ackoff, 1994). 

The Case study authored by Nayar illustrates how one CEO made a change in the decision-making processes which created creativity, development, and growth in the organization. 

Case Study Positive Opportunity

In the case study by Nayar (2010) titled Employees First, Customers Second: Turning Conventional Management Upside Down, he highlighted the focus of the relationship between the CEO and the organization’s employees in terms of making decisions. The CEO found different opportunities to engage the employees in decision-makers rather than just asking for direction. 

This was key because, as Nayar explained, the workers were closer to the process and were more intimately involved in the process. The most significant aspect that he highlighted was the idea of “creating a self-governing and self-organizing company” (p.31, 2010). Another theory that supports employee satisfaction and engagement is the path-goal theory developed by House in 1971, which illustrated how a leader’s behavior is motivated by his/her subordinates’ satisfaction, motivation, and or performance levels. I liken Nayar’s study with the Chaos Theory authored by Thietart and Forgues (1995), which contends that organizations need order and stability (p.24). 

This order and stability in Nayar’s article were created by using the tool MyBlueprint, which gave a venue to the employees to ask and answer questions and solve problems and make decisions based on their experience and expertise. This contributed to increasing value to the customer by improving the services and allowing the employees to make decisions. 

Leaders using a single system limit themselves to a limited amount of opportunities to better the organization. 

Using a Single System 

Using a single method, such as the mechanistic type, creates a challenge for change to the traditional way those in management roles organize and lead organizations. In leading organizations and maximizing profitability for their companies and their shareholders, leaders using the mechanistic type pose disruptiveness within their organization (Ackoff, 1994).  

This was substantiated by Gharajedaghi and Ackoff when they stated, “mechanistic management strives for efficiency and tries to construct social systems that behave like machines and to train people to behave like machine parts. This resulted in a bureaucratic structure that was capable of neither learning nor adapting” (p. 300, 19). Learning and adapting is key to an organization if it is to succeed in this ever-changing global marketplace, and the use of a strong vision is equally important.

Culture

A successful leader will incorporate these into the vision statement, reflecting the organization’s values and cultural consciousness. This will promote the organization as socially responsible, environmentally conscious, and provide the employees a sense of where the company is going and who they are. Communication and interpretation are vital in today’s organization, especially in global organizations. Through manifestation, realization, symbolization, and interpretation leaders’ guidance is processed and administered.    

One particular principle that stands out is that of interpretation, according to Hatch (1993) the leader’s vision and guidance is only as good as it is understood and interpreted by executive, managers, mid-managers, and associates. By adding to Schein’s (1984) Model of Organizational Culture, Hatch has closed the “gaps” in Schein’s theory and created a model called “cultural dynamics” (p.1, 1993). 

In cultural dynamics, the appreciation for symbols and processes completes the dynamics of a circular process. As a leader shares his/her vision, it is essential that this vision is tied into the cultural fabric of the organization through manifestation, realization, symbolization and interpretation (p.30, 1993). The development of a vision is vital to the organization and should reflect the organizations beliefs, the company’s goals, why they are in business. These could include a sense of cooperate sustainability, social environmental considerations, local community partnership and so on.  

Conclusion

There are many key principles which should be observed in order to design an effective organizational system. Leaders of organizations using an overarching method of systems thinking enable themselves the opportunity to be flexible and rapidly able to change their management styles to react to changing business conditions and situations (Skarzauskiene, 2010). By changing and being adaptive a leader can harness the best ideas from their employees by incorporating new ideas such as the MyBlueprint system which greatly enhanced employee engagement. Finally, through manifestation, realization, symbolization and interpretation leaders’ guidance is understood which incorporates cultural dynamics.

Cogent Analytics, LLC is a business management consulting firm, with a primary focus to help small to medium size, privately held businesses achieve success and long term profitability. Cogent provides powerful solutions with integrity and transparency to privately-held businesses throughout the United States.

References:

Ackoff, R. L. (1994). Systems thinking and thinking systems. System Dynamics Review (Wiley), 10(2/3), 175-188.

Gharajedaghi, J., & Ackoff, R. L. (1984). Mechanisms, Organisms and Social Systems.  Strategic Management Journal, 5(3), 289-300

Hatch, M. J. (1993). The dynamics of organizational culture. Academy of Management, the Academy of Management Review, 18(4), 657-657.

House R. (1971). A Path Goal Theory of Leader Effectiveness. Administrative Science Quarterly [serial online]. 16(3):321-339. Available from: Business Source Complete, Ipswich, MA.

Nayar, V. (2010) Employees First, Customers Second: Turning Conventional Management Upside Down. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Press

Thietart, R. A., & Forgues, B. B. (1995). Chaos Theory and Organization. Organization Science, 6(1), 19-31

Skarzauskiene, A. (2010). Managing complexity: Systems thinking as a catalyst of the organization performance. Measuring Business Excellence, 14(4), 49-64.

When speaking with clients about Recruiting and Hiring processes, one of the first things I always hear about is their challenges in filling the role with the right candidate. This always gets me thinking, why is this such a challenge for any company of any size? The answer is straightforward, and throughout all companies that I have been engaged with, they all have one common denominator, the lack of precise recruiting or hiring processes or practice. The majority of small business owners will slap together a brief job description, throw it online, and hope for the best; however, you get back what you put into it. So, putting a little more thought and having a solidified hiring practice can be simple but critical for the operation in vetting the proper candidates to fill the position. Below, you will learn a few tips and processes that you can implement in your business. 

First, what is the purpose of having a recruiting and hiring process? In short, having a strategy for recruiting and hiring ensures that the organization has a consistent approach in how they vet candidates for any position within the company. Recruiting employees can be challenging when processes are not followed or used due to the lack of consistency and the lack of recruiting the proper talent level required for a role. However, following this outline will give you a leg up on the competition regarding hiring the right talent for the organization. 

There are three simple steps to follow within your recruiting and hiring process. Those are; define your objective, post the job requisition in the most effective place (including local paper or service, or online), and employee selection. 

Define your Objectives

A position description is important from the business perspective, but it is also critical for the individual interested in applying for the role. The right information will allow applicants to determine if the position is in line with their current skillsets and if it is a job they would be interested in doing. It will enable both the business and the candidate to match as closely as possible based on the role itself. Identify what type of applicants you are seeking – precisely what kind of work experience and skills are you looking for? Additionally, focus on the type of questions you may want the candidate to answer during the initial screening call and then the interview. Having the right questions will give you a clear idea of the talent you are interviewing. Questions can be based on the following criteria: behavior questions based on prior experiences, determining if the candidate is a cultural fit, technical and soft skills, industry-specific questions, and overall work experiences.

Post the Requisition in the Most Effective Place

A well-crafted job posting is essential to attracting the highest volume of qualified applicants. All job openings should be posted on any company page on social media, including Facebook, Linkedin, etc. Linkedin is a triumvirate of a professional social network, headhunting tool, and job board. With 300m members, LinkedIn boasts the biggest potential candidate pool. On LinkedIn, you can search for profiles, post jobs, and message candidates directly.

However, LinkedIn is not your only option – sites like Zip Recruiter, Facebook, CareerBuilder, Monster, etc., can be utilized as a means of posting a job. All job postings must include the job description with detailed requirements for consideration, as listed below.

Employee Selection

Employee selection should be a minimum of a 3-step process.

• The 1st step is a review of the candidate’s resume and relevant experiences and skillset. By going through this process, the company will vet out several candidates that do not fit the organizational need.
• The 2nd step is a phone interview, or screening, where we spend approximately 15 minutes with a candidate by asking five or fewer questions. These questions can vary; however, they should be basic questions to verify the candidate is a fit for the role and company. After the phone screening is completed, the hiring manager or owner should rank them from highest to lowest. Once the pre-screening is complete, final interviews should be conducted with the top 5 candidates.
• The 3rd step is to conduct face-to-face interviews with the top 5 candidates. The questions you want to ask these candidates will provide you with a clear understanding of the candidate’s skill set, capabilities, and fit for the organization through planning and knowledge. Once the face-to-face interviews are done, complete another ranking of the top 5.

If the interviewee is a fit, make an offer. If interviews are not a fit, keep interviewing the next five candidates.

By following these simple steps, you and your organization will see a tremendous and vast improvement in the company’s candidates. You will see retention also increase as you mature by understanding the right questions to ask.

Small and large companies share many of the same challenges on their paths to success. For a company to be successful, management needs to understand that many different moving pieces need to be coordinated and addressed. Fortunately, there are many successful companies that, through trial and error, have developed several best practices. These best practices can easily be adapted to any size company and guide to achieving success. Although by no means exhaustive, the following compilation of best practices outlines some of the critical points that companies should incorporate into their management strategies.

Create a Company Mission Statement: Having a clear Mission Statement is a cornerstone to the success of a company. Defining, sharing the mission statement, and ensuring that employees understand it, is key to having employees embrace it. It is an excellent exercise to have employees express how they know the mission statement and what it means to them and how to achieve what the mission is. Management needs to embody and live according to the mission statement.

Build an influential Company Culture: Employees want to know that they are valued and that they contribute to the success of the company. However, a recent Gallup poll found that only 32% of employees feel engaged in their jobs. It is up to management to change that number. More than ever, management needs to understand that employees look for a balanced work/life, being able to turn off and spend time with the family to do things they enjoy. Just as the adage states: “We Work to Live, not Live to Work!” Management needs to take the time to understand what drives its employees; it is not always about money! Often it is a simple recognition of a job well done by telling the employee that their work is appreciated or by asking them how they felt when they completed the task or job. The workforce has been changing, and companies need to embrace the changes that are taking place to attract and retain talent. It differs by position, but the flexibility to work remotely, flexible work hours, to be a valued team member, to be innovative through the use of new technologies and mediums are some of the top issues currently. 

Team Expectations and accountability: Managers need to spell out clear expectations for individuals and teams and ensure they understand that they are accountable. It is essential that management provides timely and concise feedback on performance and how it can be improved. 

Managers need to leave their Ego outside: Managers need to show a willingness to admit when their system is not working or failing and be prepared to change to improve. Managers need to listen to their employees and encourage them to participate in providing ideas for improving systems or processes actively. This fosters inclusiveness and employee engagement.

Processes need to have a clearly defined timeline when tasks need to be completed: When timelines are not provided, employees don’t know what is essential, what clear order of operations must be followed to improve efficiency and reduce mistakes.

Solicit feedback from your Team/Departments: It is essential to include your team in your plans and to gather input from them often to make sure your goals are aligned and to address inefficiencies and continuously improve.

Everything should be transparent: What does that mean? Often management feels that it is transparent in its methods and processes to achieve defined goals. However, research has shown that employees often have a very different perception. Management needs to provide employees the opportunity to ask questions and to listen to them, engage them, and explain your vision and how they fit into that vision. 

Document your processes: You need to provide clear and concise documentation for your team to reduce miscommunication as much as possible. This also leaves little room for your team not to know what to do or how to do something. Miscommunication and a lack of concisely stated processes often result in tremendous amounts of time being wasted in an organization. By documenting your procedures, it keeps your organization from being reliant on any one person and simplifies onboarding and orienting new employees.

Measurement: Another best practice is to use a data-driven or measurement decision-making process, whether in finance, production, operations, or design. You need to be able to objectively determine how efficient and well your company is performing by developing Key Performance Indicators (“KPIs”) that measure relevant information. Owners often forget the data collection process as they strive to grow and address ongoing challenges. Data-driven decision making should not be an afterthought but needs to be proactively employed. 

People: Choose the right people. Nobody is going to be the best at everything. Choose the right person and personality type for each role so that no one is doing tasks that they resent. Make sure you choose people that fit in with your company culture. You can teach someone how to perform a task, but you can’t show attitude or aptitude. Focus on leveraging strengths and passions and empower people to their jobs. Hire people who want to own the project, operation, from start to finish. This person should be obsessed with the details, the metrics, the numbers. They should be elated when they hit their goal and inspired to do better when they miss it. Employee development is a critical factor in creating a successful business; this goes beyond the initial time when an employee joins a company. Training, coaching, and development activities need to do on an ongoing basis and are vital to attracting and keeping talented employees.

Sales: Provide an excellent customer experience by researching your customers and understanding their needs and wants and providing them with solutions tailored to them. It is essential to follow up with clients and to get feedback on their experience working with your company. It provides you with the ability to continuously adapt and make changes to improve and provide a consistently positive experience that lives up to your company’s brand or image promise. Best practices show that the most successful companies focus on selling based on value rather than price. How a company is viewed in the industry and by its customers, is not only defined by its successes but how it handles those demanding or even dissatisfied customers. Management needs to set clear and achievable targets for the sales team members and provide the tools and technology to allow them to do so. Companies need to foster a culture whereby best practices are identified and shared between the various departments or teams.

Operations: Create and provide the best product and customer experience at the best price. The key to operational excellence is to use systematic and predictable planning to complete projects on time. Develop methodologies and process outlines to reduce the time and effort required to create a consistently high-quality outcome. Streamline and integrate the processes from the initial customer or client contact to the completion of the sale or service invoicing, and the customer follow up. Best practices dictate that the application and effective use of metrics, technology, and culture are needed to achieve a leadership position for the long term.

Build for the Future: By performing semi-annual updates of your S.W.O.T. (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis, you can better plan for possible changes in your industry and business and make sure your plans are focused on staying relevant. Keep in mind what is essential in building a secure future for your company: People (Organization, Human Resources, Succession Planning), Sales (Sales, Marketing, Customer Service), Operations (Workflow Operations, Processes, Technology), Measurement (Financial Controls, Costing Systems, Reporting), and Product/Service. 

By adopting and implementing best practices, it is possible to develop processes, systems, and metrics that will lead to an efficient, collaborative and enjoyable work environment coupled with the ability to achieve planned profit targets and growth. In other words, the ultimate goal of adopting best practices is to build a platform for creating value for the investors and shareholders (owners) of the company for the long term. 

At Cogent Analytics, we never stop looking for ways to improve your business and neither should you. So, check out some of our other posts for helpful business information:

The Occupational Safety Administration (OSHA) was created in 1970 when the Occupational Safety Act (OSH Act) was passed. The OSH act was passed to prevent workers from being killed or seriously harmed at work. OSHA sets and enforces workplace health and safety standards by providing information, training, and assistance to both employers and workers.

Every small business owner wants to provide a safe and secure place for its employees to work. Workplace slip and falls, accidents resulting from performing a job that requires lifting, being struck by objects or equipment, and exposure to dangerous chemicals or substances are only a few of the common workplace events that may result in employee injury. OSHA believes workplace safety is a fundamental right for every working man and woman, and they are committed to ensuring that every employer provides safe working conditions in a secure environment regardless of the type of work that is completed. For example, an employee working in a medical field may require special safety gear and training to protect themselves and others with whom they have direct contact whereas an airline baggage handler will face different workplace accidents or injuries. The business owner is charged with understanding what requirements are important for his specific industry. OSHA believes a safe work environment is central to every employee’s ability to enjoy health and security while achieving the American dream.

What does OSHA mean to the small business owner? Following OSHA requirements can mean the difference between staying in business or closing your doors. All businesses with 10 or more employees are obligated to follow all OSHA requirements, and small business owners must take care to understand the requirements for their particular industry. They must train employees to recognize compliance issues, which is best accomplished through the creation of safety groups and regular ongoing training and safety meetings. Workplace accidents and injuries sometimes have far-reaching consequences that extend beyond any financial loss due to a reduction in productivity due to time off. While every accident or unsafe work condition has the potential to impact morale, serious injuries that result in loss of life, maiming, short- and long-term disability usually result in legal action taken again the small business, regardless of whether the accident is due to the negligence of the employee or employer. These events have the potential to threaten the small business, and in some cases, put it out of business due to financial legal awards, legal costs, and bad publicity. Although accidents and injuries may occur even when the employer takes all precautions, the implementation of safety training, creation of safety committees, and a commitment of management to conduct regular safety checks at scheduled and unscheduled intervals is paramount to ensure safety. OSHA believes following their regulations protect the employees and the business.

Many small business owners who are obligated to follow OSHA regulations fail to do so because it is inconvenient for the company to be familiar with the rules for their specific industry. In truth, many business owners are surprised to discover it is far more inconvenient when they are not familiar with the rules for their specific industry when a violation is reported or a Worker’s Compensation claim is filed because profitability will be reduced. The reward for following OSHA regulations is not only a safe workplace but also the direct cost-savings to the business, which increases profitability. They include:

• Lower workers’ compensation insurance costs
• Reduction in employee medical procedures
• Smaller expenditures for return to work programs
• Lower cost for job accommodations for injured workers
• Increase in productivity
• Higher quality products or service
• Increased morale
• Better employee relations
• Reduction in turnover
• Avoiding penalties and fines for regulation violations
• Avoiding temporary closure of business until compliance for a specific violation is in place

Employees experience a benefit themselves and their families by:

• Protecting their income
• Families lives are not hindered by injury
• Their stress is not increased.

Coupled with strong, effective, and fair enforcement, OSHA strives to provide improved new outreach, education, and compliance assistance to safeguard everyone, including the small business. Protect the business you’ve worked hard to build. Take the necessary time to “safety proof” your investment. It could mean saving a life or saving your business.