An important part of your succession planning involves getting the fastest runners on your team now, so they take your business further than you ever dreamed. A talented team can provide a competitive advantage, improve productivity, spark innovation, create a positive company culture, and assure your long-term success.
Attracting such a team is no small matter. One way to attract your industry’s top talent is to have appropriate and effective systems in place.
Good systems show your commitment to excellence and support innovative thinking and problem-solving in your business. This is attractive to top performers. However, a lack of good systems can keep you from attracting the most talented people.
I have three friends who have built three ultra-successful businesses and the key to their success has been the systems they implement. All three are in “dirty” businesses: auto parts, plumbing supplies, and trucking. But their systems help them attract top talent for their teams.
Chandler built a lucrative parts business by implementing a real-time inventory management system that even the customers can access. His systems allow him to recruit the fastest runners to do more valuable tasks and his fastest runners now help to innovate ever more effective systems. His systems delight his customers and free up his team members to do higher-value functions.
For five years, he ate Ramen noodles before breaking through to profitability. Today, Chandler’s team members are highly productive, and they have positioned his company to dominate their industry.
Good systems to manage the knowledge that your team and customers need help to ensure that important information is easily accessible and shared among team members, which can facilitate collaboration and innovation.
A lack of these systems pushes the talented people you need to other places, where excellent systems free them from menial tasks and release them to work in their most gifted areas.
Some systems could include:
a project management system
a team calendar system that facilitates team meetings and get-togethers
a customer relationship management system (CRM) to facilitate happy relationships with your customers
an online banking system that frees up the manual processes of banking and bookkeeping
an entrepreneurial operating system (EOS) for accountability to clarify vision, gain traction, and increase team health
Talented potential employees are impressed when they see you have automated supply chain systems.
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Systems: ERP systems are comprehensive business management software that integrates supply chain management with other core business functions, such as accounting and human resources. An ERP system provides a centralized database that allows businesses to track their inventory, manage procurement, and plan production schedules more effectively.
Inventory Management Systems: Inventory management systems help businesses to track and manage their inventory levels and monitor stock movement throughout the supply chain. These systems can help to optimize inventory levels, reduce stock-outs, and prevent overstocking.
Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) Systems: SRM systems help businesses to manage their relationships with suppliers more effectively. These systems can help to identify the most reliable and cost-effective suppliers, track supplier performance, and manage supplier contracts.
Warehouse Management Systems (WMS): WMS helps businesses to manage their warehouse operations more efficiently. These systems can help to track inventory levels, optimize storage space, and manage the movement of goods throughout the warehouse.
Transportation Management Systems (TMS): TMS helps businesses to manage their transportation operations, including freight management, carrier selection, and route optimization. TMS can help to reduce transportation costs, improve delivery times, and enhance supply chain visibility.
Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) Systems: EDI systems allow businesses to exchange data electronically with their trading partners, such as suppliers and customers. EDI systems can help to automate supply chain processes, reduce errors, and improve efficiency.
Acquiring and implementing excellent systems will require investment on your part but are well worth it.
How do you get started? Begin by visiting other businesses in your industry and find out what systems they use. Join industry share groups. Look for systems articles and advertisements in the periodicals for your industry. Also, look to other industries where innovation and advanced systems may be adapted to your own industry.
Attracting and hiring the best talent is critical to the success of your business. Building a team that will succeed you and take your company to unimaginable new levels of service is your goal. Systems allow you to attract these incredible people.
Getting the best talent today increases the value of the business that will succeed you.
Next week’s post will share:
ways to find the fastest runners to use your systems
innovate better systems
build the team to succeed you and continue the impact of your enterprise for generations.
Harry T. Jones
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