Friday, Oct. 7th is “Fair Day” in my home town of 12,000 people. Fair Day means the fair is coming to town for the weekend and on Friday the town pretty much shuts down. The city is closed for business! Need a doctor on Friday? Good luck! Want to visit a business on Main Street? Think again! Main Street will be closed for the morning Fair Day Parade. It’s a small town, the fair comes to town once a year, so all-in-all it’s kind of fun and not a big deal that the city is closed for business.
Now think about this… How many organizations are “closed for business”, not for just one day a year but many days of the year or even every day of the year? How many employees are closed for business even when they are at work?
Employees: Still not networking and developing advocates? Still not offering the right product to the right customer at the right time. Still not recognizing opportunities to tell people about your products and services. Still not abiding by the non-negotiables? Then you are closed for business.
Managers: Still not conducting daily one-on-one meetings? Still haven’t set expectations for each of your direct reports? Still not coaching and developing your team? Still not managing the non-negotiables? Then you are closed for business.
Leaders: Still haven’t laid out a clear vision and plan for the organization? Still haven’t clearly defined who you serve? Still haven’t set up a core score for your organization and your managers? Then you are most definitely closed for business.
Is it Fair Day where you work??? It’s time to open for business!
