Exit Interviews & Feedback

Hey everyone, sorry its been a while since my last blog,.. but I would rather post something that I feel is valuable and worthwhile sharing than post utter garbage.

Something that has been sifting around in my mind for a number of years now is the value of an honest exit interview. Actually this conscious cluster of thoughts also includes feedback on actual interviews too - as to why you didn't get the job. You see folks, how can you improve if you don't know where you failed?

Too often in NZ employers seem either ill-equipped or uncomfortable giving honest feedback about an exiting employee or interviewee that failed to get the job. On the flip side of course, many employees are uncomfortable receiving constructive honest feed back. My view is that this info is absolute gold and both parties need to embrace it! If employers have consideration for an exiting employees future, I would encourage them to talk openly, discuss successes and failures and most importantly communicate areas where the exiting employee can progress.

I applied for a role some years back, had an interview and missed out. To be honest it's probably better I didn't get the job, however - I asked the interviewing manager why I missed out but she couldn't, or wouldn't tell me. Gutted, there was something there that to this date, I really would have liked to know, that could have helped me in the future.

Similarly, leaving every role in the past, I have never been asked to have an exit interview. Not only am I missing out on quality feedback about where I could improve, but the employer is missing out on valuable info on my thoughts about their organisation - it's mutually beneficial people!

I recently went through a series of personal evaluations, self and from others. The feedback, identified areas that I need to work on. Wicked, if I can improve by a few percent here and there, all thanks to doing an evaluation - then I'm stoked!

So I guess my message is simple, employers, do your exiting staff a favour and tell them where they could improve, and while you are at it (employers) ask the exiting staff where they think the organisation (and the employees) can improve. It may be a little hard to take but at the end of the day its gotta be good, right?

Oh and a disclaimer, sure this does actually happen in many organisations, but there are a truck load of companies where this doesn't occur.

Anyways, bring on summer. Enjoy!

Cheers Ben

Death Valley!

Hey All,... a place few people have been in life, but somewhere I have visited twice is Death Valley,.. no it's not some scene from a horror (although at times it feels like it). Death Valley is that place (a period in time following start-up of a firm and the downward spiral of profit and cash before sales start to turn things around and a positive cash position is returned. Fact is I never turned the cash position around, so stayed in Death Valley until the inevitable happened, I died (financially). Why I say this openly is that it's an experience anyone who wants to start a business should go through. The pain of living in Death Valley, the horror of admitting you've died there, and the hurt it causes for years to come build a greater understanding and respect for business, business owners and especially owners of successful start-ups. What is even more shocking is that once you have died in Death Valley and lived through the pain of the aftermath, you long for the day when you are strong enough to venture in once again and show them who's boss. The lure of entering Death Valley, and some time later venturing out still intact has a powerful pull.
So what then is this message all about, well, if you're young and have aspirations of starting a business, go out and do it, venture into Death Valley, see your cash spiral into a hole, feel the fear of the darkness that engulfs you, ...congratulations if you succeed and your business become profitable and cash liquid, and congratulations if you fail, either way you did well in my book. Enjoy!

Succession Planning

Sorry its been a couple of weeks, but sometimes you gotta get away to refresh and come up with new ideas (thanks Queenstown, Wanaka and Nelson)...

Something that's rolling round in my mind at present is succession planning. This comes from having worked for firms that I would have gladly stayed with had there been a plan for the future leadership of the organisation. The fact is these firms owners will one day (if not already) wake up tired and completely over it, but realise they have a very real asset in their business that they can't let go sideways. What they need to do and should have considered earlier, is a plan to get the right people in the firm and foster them into strategic positions of leadership and ownership for the future.

This was most recently front of mind when a Nelson couple in their 50's, who run a nice little profitable business turning over 600 - 800k, told me they were looking to change direction and do something else. Fine to look to new ventures I'm thinking, but what of your current business and your current revenue stream, do you not have someone to manage this for the future? This couple have a niche business with a great product and good client base, why would they give it up? All that is needed is for these people to find the right person/people, share knowledge, a vision, a salary that is more than the going rate, plus some ownership and their business and income will continue, supporting their other endeavors.

In tourism in NZ we are an industry of owner operators, and thus there is very little opportunity in middle and senior management. The problem then is that as owners get older, there is a knowledge gap and young people don't have the skills to take over the business. Both the existing owners and the emerging leaders in the industry lose due to a lack of succession planning.

Please, owners of tourism ventures, have a think about this, you have a business asset that can yield income well after your retirement, look to the future now, and seek out individuals, share knowledge, train, develop, and provide an equity stake, and together look forward to a bright future.

Enjoy, cheers.

Speech Craft thru Toast Masters

Hey all,.. a little off subject today,.. and for many of us who are a bit too cool, this may sound a bit old school... but that's not the case at all,.. anyways, I thought it worth while giving Toast Masters a plug! I've been doing a Speech Craft course through Toast Masters for the past 10 weeks, and it was bloody good! Not only do you become more comfortable speaking in front of an audience, but improvements you never expected occur. You begin to speak at other times with articulation, you slow your speech down, drop the 'umms and the ahhs' and become a more proficient communicator, your mind is more clear when you are explaining or communicating on topics of difficulty. You also meet some great business contacts and have a few laughs. So the advantages go well beyond just speaking well in front of an audience. Checkout http://www.toastmasters.org.nz/ for your local club and make the call. Enjoy!

The Twitter Wave,.. and who's gonna use it wisely?

Hey all,.. so this last week I've been jumping into Twitter. I actually jumped into it some time ago,.. but couldn't find anyone locally of interest. You see I'm not interested in what Britney Spears is up to, obviously some people are! I'm interested in interesting kiwis sharing their entrepreneurial knowledge. So it seems there are three types of Twitterers, those who Tweet for fun and entertainment and a bit of time wasting, those who Tweet to share knowledge, and those companies that Tweet for awareness. On this I have a couple of things to say,.. if you have a voice of interest and want to be heard then the Twitter Wave is here, so jump on! If you are a company looking to create awareness through Twitter,.. then differentiate your tweets, make them interesting, informative, not just mass media advertising, remember the consumer is becoming more and more savvy, link you tweets to your blogs to your web to you product, but do it smartly.
The Twitter Wave is here and the swell is building, better learn how to surf! Cheers and Enjoy!

Useful Tourism and Small Business Marketing Info through Twitter!

Hey all, just an update, I will be communicating small ideas (mico-blogs) through twitter, whenever I come across useful pieces of info that are beneficial to tourism and small business marketing. Seek out benzone or benchapman on twitter. Enjoy!

Human Resources

So its been a few days since I last blogged,.. but whats most topical in my mind this week is that small business particularly in tourism, is great at the customer end, but a bit shabby at the employee end. I encourage owners to read up, or take a small course on human resources. The idea being that you improve staff retention, have a happier work force, utilise staff ideas, and create a constructive communication relationship with your employees. Gone are the days of one on one appraisals, as a manager you only know so much about your employee, why not ask others about your employees performance? (360-Degree Feedback Surveys) You may find out good or bad stuff that you weren't aware of, after all information is power. As an extension to this managers and owners should throw the spot light on themselves and have an evaluation provided by subordinates and peers. There is some planning and structure required to ensure a robust, positive, fair and constructive survey, so I encourage you look before you leap. The world is changing fast people, and you need a better handle on what your staff are up to and importantly what you yourself are up to. Cheers.