Many business leaders agree that one of the keys to success is having the right people in the right jobs. Therefore we tend to focus on technical expertise, experience and intelligence when evaluating potential employees. Although these are all significant issues, it’s equally important to hire people who have the right personalities and attitudes.
If yours is a large manufacturing company you may well deal with a union. If not, you most likely have created a work environment in which the employees don’t feel the need to belong to a collective bargaining organization.
A wise machine shop owner once said that his most valuable assets walk out the door at the end of each shift. We all know that our employees are the lifeblood of our companies and one of our largest investments. Which means making good hiring decisions is critical to our success.
Life is full of stresses, many of which we can easily handle. In fact, some stress is good for us. What psychologists term Acute Stress is that feeling we sense when met with the unexpected. This is the famous “fight-or-flight” response that helps us work through difficult situations and avoid danger, such as a potential accident. Our heart rate increases, our muscles tighten and we feel that rush of adrenaline that quickens our reaction times. Once the episode passes, our bodies return to a normal state.
The National Small Business Association (NSBA) recently released a survey of 780 small business owners (businesses with 500 or fewer employees) across a number of business types including manufacturing (15%).