We need to do more with less! I can think of no better way to demoralize a team than by saying this to employees. It is a mentality that is pervasive in today’s business world, from finance to manufacturing. When I hear this phrase, it means we are going to squeeze our employees and vendors for every last drop of blood. It means we have become so lean that opportunities are lost because we can’t take time to investigate them, let alone take advantage of them. It means that something important gets dropped and lost forever. It means high turnover, lost knowledge, and brutal treatment of people for one more penny.
We focus so much on cutting costs and increasing production that we lose sight of the big picture. We don’t factor in the hidden costs of our actions or the opportunity costs of alternatives. As a manager, it is our job to develop a long term sustainable system that makes money. You can do that for a while by beating up your employees and vendors, but after a while, no one will work with you.
Do I know what the answer is? Not entirely. But I am working on it. I do know that balance and moderation are a big part of the answer. Balancing the human side along with the numbers side of a business takes skill and time, but it makes a big difference.
It pays to take care of your people.
