Banish defeatist mentalities like "we've always done it like this before." Seek employees ideas. Ask each employee to submit two ideas every month. Have an open mind; be willing to learn and openly share the credit. When people know their input will be welcomed (no matter how small), it will keep them sharp, on the edge, engaged, motivated and, best of all, contributing.
Create a measuring stick to chart your financial progress daily. Calculate how much your company needs to generate in annual sales and profitability to reach your financial goals. Divide that sales amount by the number of business days in your fiscal year to give you a daily figure. This precise guideline will alert you every 24 hours where you are and give you a fighting chance to catch up. Once you've lost ground, it's harder to make up.
Treat your employees like your most important customers. Care for your inside customers who come to work every day equally as important as you treat your outside customers. Refer to your employees as your "team" not "the help". Use language that uplifts and inspires when you talk to them and about them. Companies will "knock themselves out" to treat their top customers like royalty, but often will treat their best employees like serfs. How you treat your employees is how they'll treat your customers.
