How Bosses Suck

1. John's employee, Chrissy, programs on the side.
2. Originally, John hired her to do tech support.
3. Her creative abilities to help the company rock goes ignored.

Instead of telling tapping her hidden abilities, he confines her to her hired role:

• tech support
• answer customer calls
• install software

Blah-blah-blah-blah.

In the meantime, when Chrissy gets home, she:

1. dabbles with her phpBB message board script that she has installed on her web server
2. incorporates plug-ins that help her little community become more lively
3. builds and strengthens relationships with her community members

What's wrong?

Chrissy has the capability to set up an open-source technical-support ticketing system for John's company, which would've made the company about 20-40% more efficient in handling tech support.

Chrissy also could have:

• enhanced the company's website to convert more leads
• install a lead management system to handle those leads
• connect the website with the tech support system so employees and customers anywhere can log into the system and submit their support requests
• establish a foundation to start automating the company

BLING SAVED.

Empowering Your Company

Yes, defined roles lets a company perform necessary tasks; without clearly marked roles, you'd have a chaotic organization with no accountability.

• BUT, confining team members withing strict boundaries produces inept organizations that suck away hidden potential.

Efficient companies know better; they set aside time for staff to 'lead/experiment/invent'; that is, 'do whatever you can to help the company succeed' time.

3M and Google, for instance, gives staff 15% and 20% free time, respectively.

Yes, Chrissy and her software prowess might not translate to everyone in your company; but, anyone and everyone can play a vital role in helping your company succeed to the max; for instance:

• a gamer can design an organization that directly combines productivity with fun (e.g., through a points system)
• a super frugal dude can start setting up systems to find better deals (or a manual to bargain with suppliers)
• a techie can find the latest-and-greatest gadgets and websites to make your company more efficient
• a 4.0 grad can come up with super efficient learning kits to boost the skills of your entire team
• a crazy-organized person can enhance your employee manual to make your knowledge system easily transferable

How do you tap your company's hidden potential?

Try this:

1. Set aside free time for staff to tap their creative abilities. (Experiment with a digestible percentage, then grow into it.)
2. Give weekly rewards to the best initiatives/experiments/inventions/etc to encourage productivity -- and boosting morale.
3. Support them in every way possible with resources, tips, books, conferences, etc.

You'll see good stuff happening.

The greatest motivator goes beyond financial rewards; people, inherently, covet meaningful work.

It's in our blood.

Free time.

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