CE Pro September 2022 - 52

INDUSTRY
Operations
mind to buy video products
that early, " advises Karp.
Communications Key
to Company Culture
" Culture is probably the
hardest thing to change in
any company, regardless of
the size. Right now it is important
to behave like a human
being, who listens more
than talks. Your employees
have lives. The pressures that
you as a principal of your
integration company are
feeling shouldn't necessarily
be translated down to the
soldiers in the field. They
don't want to work 80 hours
a week even though you may
be working 80 hours a week.
" Communications, listening
and paying them (or
in some cases overpaying
them). Are you doing enough
to train those guys? That's
very important because
training shows them that you
care that they are installing
it properly. That will lead to
happy clients, which leads to
more referrals, which leads to
more money and, ultimately,
greater compensation. It's a
family/team kind of thing. It's
no longer a situation of, 'I get
the money and you work for
me,' " he says.
" Culture is about how
you treat them, how you
communicate with them,
how you instruct them, and
how you give them permission
to speak and to be
involved. We're really not in
the installation business but
the service business. If you
don't remember that, then
you should go hang up your
shingle somewhere else. "
Sales Management
Needs Engagement
" One of the mistakes I see
made is that the sales guys
are allowed probably too long
the leash. Having a regular
dialog - not emails - about
the proposals that are out
that have not closed, or
discussing where they are
in the process, is important.
Being engaged in what your
salespeople are doing will
help you to guide them to
stay on track. It helps to see
what they are selling, but not
looking at the products they
are not selling is a common
mistake by many companies.
If the service department is
not crazy about a product,
then why are you selling that
product? " asks Karp.
" Maybe at the beginning
of the month, have a dialog
about a particular sales proposal
that hasn't closed, and
ask how you can help close
that sale. "
PURESOLUTION/STOCK.ADOBE.COM
Cultivating Culture Means More
Than Just Providing Perks
A quick online search of " company culture " yields millions of
results, all of which define the concept a little bit differently.
But, in the simplest terms, culture is how an employee feels on
Sunday night. Do they look forward to Monday morning and
the week ahead, or do they dread it?
For years, we've been sold the idea that culture centers on
workplace extras - things like colorful and fun workspaces,
free meals, ping-pong tables and relaxed dress codes. Yet,
when you listen to employees talk about why they leave
their jobs, you'll hear reasons like poor leadership, inadequate
compensation, lack of challenges, the absence of a meaningful
career path, poor work/life balance, and the lack of opportunity
to learn, develop and grow on the job. These criticisms help
identify the cultural attributes that, in fact, help companies
attract and retain talent.
The best ideas about how to innovate and meet your customers'
needs usually come from your team members. Making
sure that employees can share their ideas - especially with
leadership - is another cornerstone of a healthy culture.
52 | CE Pro September 2022
Provide employees with big, meaningful opportunities to
share what's on their minds, and then back them up with your
day-to-day behaviors. You'll make a difference.
Employees who work under great leaders tend to be happier,
more productive and more connected within their organization.
This has a ripple effect that contributes directly to
the company's bottom line. But, yet, so many employees feel
under-appreciated right now. The reasons are numerous, and
they include the following:
not getting clear direction
not sensing their manager's trust
not having enough feedback or support
not feeling that their efforts and their time are respected
Great leaders hire the right employees for the right positions.
Then, they provide clear objectives, offer regular
coaching and feedback, empower employees to meet those
objectives and get out of the way.
Employees feel more motivated to achieve their goals when
their managers help them thrive and provide positive reincepro.com
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CE Pro September 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of CE Pro September 2022
