Note: This is the third and final in a series of blog posts aimed at providing lessons learned from an experienced field service management business owner.
By David Crary
In the previous post, I explained that rather than fearing delegation, you should embrace it. While delegating out tasks to your staff is better for your entire business (and your stress levels), you can’t simply distribute the work and walk away. My recommendation is to have weekly meetings within your business as a way to keep in the loop about the happenings within your business.
I have owned three companies in my 30 years of being a business owner. The first for 12 years, the second for 22 years, and the third for 10 years. I am sure a lot of you did what I did for the past 29 years in my business. I talked with my managers, office staff, supervisors, etc. to be sure projects and jobs were being completed or handled, but there was never any structure. I would basically check in to be sure the urgent things were handled, but other than that we never had scheduled meetings to discuss how things were going both inside and outside the business.
Having structured, weekly meetings is something I began just this past year within my field service software company, and it was one of the best things I ever did. Each week, I sit down with my team of supervisors and managers to discuss the state of each department represented. We make a plan for things that need to get done and set deadlines that we revisit when the time comes. Each of my managers and supervisors also set up meetings with the department they are in charge of. Any topics that come up there are also discussed in our weekly meetings.
I mainly had smaller companies, but if you own a larger corporation, you need to ensure that the lines of communication are open. Employees need to feel like they are free to speak their mind if need be. I have learned many things from our weekly meetings. Everything from complaints from customers, to new equipment we will be needing in the next few months, and on to what our budget will allow in the next year. All of this is valuable information that I wouldn’t know or be aware of, but definitely should be since I am the owner.
As a recap, your weekly meetings should contain:
- Structure – Have an agenda and deadlines; know what needs to be accomplished within the meeting before it begins.
- Open lines of communication – Depending on the size of your company, make it clear who your employees should report to. It could be you, or perhaps a manager or supervisor, who can then bring up topics to you. Be sure your employees know they should express things they like, things they don’t like, or changes they would like to see. Your employees will appreciate being listened to and knowing you are listening to them. Customers can tell when employees like their job and where they work and trust a happy employee much more than a disgruntled one.
- Separate location – If possible, hold your meetings in a conference room or in a separate location. Block out all distractions and get down to business in these meetings. These aren’t the time or place for goofing around and shooting the breeze with your coworkers, it is a time to evaluate how the company is doing and to accomplish something.
As an experienced business owner, I truly believe your company cannot reach the next level without having weekly meetings. Not only does it allow you to know the “going ons” within your company, it also allows people to bounce ideas off each other, discuss issues, and reflect on what is working or needs more attention. Structured meetings ensure the company and its employees are making progress and all working towards the same thing.