Sometimes it takes a great big disruption to stimulate the best changes. I think you know what disruption I’m talking about. The last two years have affected everyone. Fortunately for our organization, there is progress to be recognized as we come out the other side.
Here at Accent, we worked hard to make sure that our business stayed healthy enough to exist during the toughest of times. Most of my stress came from trying to make sure we continued to provide good jobs for everyone during a financially difficult time. As we transitioned our staff to remote work, the change in work habits for some meant that productivity per person dropped to a concerning level.
Paychecks Prioritized Over Financial Performance
While our leadership team never wavered in prioritizing employee paychecks over the company’s financial performance, the time came when we couldn’t neglect what the numbers were telling us.
A business can’t exist without the numbers adding up to an ultimate net income. We came to a point when we had to determine what it would take to recapture productivity and figure out what needed to change to realize the goal of gross margin.
So we made some drastic changes.
We looked at the jobs we had and the people who were dedicated to Accent. Then we did what may have been counter to the goal of increasing margin -- we promoted several people and hired some others!
Promoted People Others Wanted to Follow
The people who were promoted were those who had a knack for rising above difficult situations, and proved time and again that they could make something good out of something that was otherwise bad. They get stuff done, and they are well liked because of the way they communicate and treat others.
These are people that others wanted to follow, so that’s who we decided to promote. We not only challenged these leaders with more responsibility and more important tasks, but we also started to do more to nurture their management skills and grow their leadership abilities.
Positioned for Long-Term Performance
When it comes down to it, the disruption stimulated changes that ultimately position us for better performance in the long term. We have better leadership than we had at the beginning of 2020 and better teams. Every department has great team members working toward the goal of great service while earning enough to provide opportunity for all.
Sure, there is still A LOT of work to do, and every day is challenging, but when the boat is going in the right direction, and the people are rowing the same way, the journey is exciting and rewarding.
Have a great April,
Marty
