BUSINESS OWNERSHIP IN EMPLOYEES: MY TAKE

All over the world, businesses are taking new forms and business models are changing nowadays as fast as the speed of light. Businesses are expanding in products, territories, segments and also placing their feet in several industries other than the ones they specialize in. This in itself is a good trend if business owners could conceptualize the ideas of what they want their businesses or business conglomerate(s) to look like and their profits, risks and costs projection, it is also important to look into the lives, mentality and conceptualization of the vision drivers or strategy implementer, that is the company employees.

Over the years, several job roles have undergone several name change and coinage, depending on the age and what is trendy at that time; however we should not also forget to mention the increase in scope of the tasks and functions they tend to perform as the nomenclature changes.

A vivid example could be seen in the metamorphosis of the Human Resource Profession. There was a time they were seen as just folks in charge of Welfare, then they went on to be called Administrators(Offices, then call them the Admin for short.), times played a better one on them and their name change again, thanks to the trendy word of that time; Management.  Since there was at that time Financial Management, Operations Management et al. of course we had Personnel Management and towards the end of that Name-Age; Human Resource Management though some other Organizations did coin other sleek names like Talent Management, Human Capital Management, Employee Management and others. We are in a new age and the trendy word now is Business Ownership, and in the profession in our study, the new title is Human Resource Business Partner (HRBP).

Like I mentioned earlier it is not just a matter of changing Job titles and roles to fit into the fad at any point in time in history, their tasks and functions also increased. It is like the dashboard of a car or a big Machine, as a new model come up, new controls, more options more complex issues arises. There would be new indices for measurement and of course new set of challenges to overcome and new set of goals and visions to accomplish. One fact however still remains, THEY ARE EMPLOYEES.

Let’s put the new Fad into consideration; Business Ownership. This is a word that is now thrown around by Management of various Organizations all round to their employees. One would hear such statements in meetings like “There has to be a sense of Business Ownership around here, you need to take the Business like it is your own.”, in some other Organizations, you hear sentences like, “if it were your Business what would you do to change the numbers I am seeing here?”.

Here is the irony, “How many of the Management give the employee the sense of Ownership in their Business?”

All over the world, businesses are taking new forms and business models are changing nowadays as fast as the speed of light. It is no gainsaying that businesses are changing all over the world and also expectations invariably would also be changing even from employees. The Ugly truth is Businesses are not done conventionally again, businesses in some recently Stone Age (Early 2000s) was done conventionally, you can easily predict what would happen if you pull this indices or that one and it was very okay to “Think within the box” to proffer solutions to problems, in fact it was so easy that they have Handbook for possible problems and solutions. Nowadays, Businesses is not like that anymore, you don’t need to just Think within the box, they now have to Think outside the Box and even need to start Thinking in other Shapes than the Box. 

Now, herein lies the problem of Business Ownership from Management to employee(Not usually Board), “Think any how you want to think but make sure it is within this context or we would sanction you, however, you just have to make sure you give us terrific results or else we would have to STILL Sanction You.” So how can that synergy of word and action take place?

The truth of the matter is not all Departments would feel the brunt of the call to action like the Sales Department of any organization, though other departments or teams would also have to feel the heat and this is because they are there to achieve targeted goals as it is the cohesion and synergy that keeps the Organization going.  Sales Department, however don’t have such luxury, Every Organization, no matter what it is into, is out to make sale, if they are not making sales then they are not in business.

Business Ownership implies making the employees feel like they own the business, looking for ways to bring out the best without being restricted by Rules, politics, Dogma and processes. It is about getting tangible results from the employees and not limiting them with procedures. It is about trusting in your employees that they can achieve and bring in the next business idea or strategy that would catapult the business to a whole new level, or even create a whole new industry in which the Organization never taught could be possible.

The Internet is a washed with a lot of stories of employees who changed the Landscape of products, businesses, strategies and ideas because they were giving the chance to take full ownership without them being held back by Management.

It is my take that if Businesses want employees to take their businesses to the next level, adequate motivation is key to achieving that. Motivation doesn’t necessarily have to be financial as seen by most businesses of the day but it has to do with understanding each of the employees and knowing what makes them tick. It involves keying into their hopes and fears and channeling it positively to the goals, vision and mission of the company.

Business Ownership among employees is a great way to not only develop the employees as Intrapreneurs but also to develop the Business as a whole.

EARNING SALARY IN A PRIVATE ORGANIZATION

There is a shackle, It is called SALARY,

In the beginning it is a relief, then believe me in the long run, a Malady

Its like you mortgage your life and your creativity,

For a carrot tied to your neck like that proverbial donkey.

Woe betide you, if you are not in management,

You have a Supervisor, Manager and even a Senior Manager to ensure your Enslavement,

There is a  promise of a bigger pay with Nomenclature amendment,

Nearing redundancy with a job portfolio enlargement.

Another woe betide you, if you are rated by numbers,

Numbers can be skewed if you could look deep at the rate of climbers,

The ass kissers, glorified writers and “na my person dey dia ;it’s their gold that glitters,

“Welcome to the employee world”, to the unemployed who think, it’s ours, the employees grass, that is way greener.

Industries differ but there is a purer distinction,

With the Private, it’s more profits, if possible, Worker’s extinction,

They grill you; they own you, even auction your positions,

You want to resign; they threaten you with the Unemployed population.      

Salary don’t forget is where we peaked from,

When can fun, adventure become the erstwhile thing, that interesting norm,

When it’s not like every day we come for roll call like we are in just another dorm

When we would develop ourselves not in job growth,  but in career form.

If only the HR in organizations could see,

That it’s more than money to motivate the employees to the heights they hope to be,

Understanding why we tick, not why we are thick would push the company to where it’s suppose to be,

That is the main dream of the Worker in you and ME.

“WHY IS YOUR LIFE SCATTERED LIKE THIS?”

There was a time when in the job circles, it used to be “What do you know?”, then people brandish Certificates upon Certificates and being a member of this Professional Body or that, however with the advent of websites like Google, YouTube and many others, the questions have changed, the goal post has been shifted to “What can you do with what you know?”.

Job Interviews for some people has become a daily occurrence in the economy for some people considering the state of the economy and the ever increasing competition being churned out by our citadels of learning nowadays. The supply of Labor as far out-weighed the demand that some Certificates or skills that used to be something extremely valuable and prestigious is now seen as a prerequisite and a given.

It is no gainsaying that some Job interviews could be so gruesome that the applicants could come out of a session and burst into tears feeling he or she has lost a shot at the job because of some set of questions that the Interviewer or panel asked and in his or her opinion might have flunked. Other times, some applicants might come out of such interviews feeling so depressed and self-doubting of their Certificates, Skills and Knowledge because of the way some interviewers drilled them.

I am not trying to Demonize Interviewers because it is not easy faced with so many options of candidates who all look good and dapper on paper with their Certificates, job experiences, skills et al., they would have to sieve candidates on other matrices:  like ability to withstand pressure, Negotiation Skills, Value sets and others and that in itself could be a daunting task.

An applicant was in an interview recently and felt with his paraphernalia on his Resume, he could easily ace the interview process. He might have been having a swell day as he answered one question after another until a member of the panel, tilted her Glasses to the bridge of her nose and holding up his Resume, read some of his educational background and asked “Looking at all these, why is your educational life and work-life scattered like this? Hope you don’t take offense?”

The once confident applicant went into stutter-mode. If He had read all possible expose on potential questions in an interview and had a ready answer of each of them during his preparations, this definitely isn’t one of them. Should He have looked at the Education Requirement of the Job-role, he has most of the prerequisite and the other off-courses should be seen as an added advantage, but that question which he felt he brandish like Strength was suddenly thrown to him as a big weakness.

It was a time to test his ability to think under pressure, it was also a time to know how to rephrase a situation to either a defense or a weapon for glory. With a Science background in High School and Social Science Background as an Undergraduate and a little stint in the Creative industry, going into Personnel and Project Management, a small detour in Education and finally into Sales, it sure looks a little scattered.

The truth is some applicants are really like that. They hear this short term course is what is making waves; they all rush in just to get the Certificate in order to stand out of the pack (As at the time of writing, its Project Management, NEBOSH and Professional Membership Certificates that are the recent Fad). These thus lead to so many Certificates by the candidate and as an Interviewer it definitely means the questions have to Shift as earlier mentioned from “What do you know?” (Certificates, Skills-set, Job experiences and others.)  To “What can you do with what you know?” (What is its relevance in our own scheme of Things; Our Organization, Job Role you are applying for, Vision and Mission of the Organization and others.)

The applicant didn’t feel offended, but it was his pivotal moment, He needed to see the Big Picture and painted the Picture vividly to the Panel and justified some of his detours as it relates to his Big Dream and the ways some of the detours and Scattered-ness would be of value to the Organization and that Specific Job Role. Yes, other questions were thrown at the applicant and he tried the best he could. He did feel like he had flunked the interview and the Job Role might not be given to him.

What is the take out of this Experience?

-Internet has changed the Landscape of things: You can be a anything without having a Certificate but by just watching and Practicing things you watch (YouTube etc.) or Read FREELY (free E-books, How-to Websites) or Listen to (Podcasts). It is no more “What I Know” because what I know can be known by anybody at even half the cost, it’s now “What Can I do with what I know”.

-Rephrasing a Context: With the write coinage you could say the same thing over and move from strength to Weakness or vice versa. If you don’t understanding it, you need to get close to Lawyers. By rephrasing a context, you can set yourself apart even with the same qualifications. An Example is Proficient Ms Excel User to Result Oriented Data-miner and Business Analyst using Ms Excel. It could also help in Negotiations.

-Seeing the Big Picture: Before you run and join the Bandwagon on the latest Fad or Fashion Certificate-wise, ask yourself “Does it fit into my own Big Picture?” To be able to do that, you also have to have your Big Dream, that idea, passion and business you would want to have went you leave paid employment. Even when you want to apply for a Job-role, does it fit? Would it connect in the end? I know a Doctor that graduated and didn’t get a job early, so he got a job as a Marketer in a Bank, Scattered Yes!. People felt he was stupid and all, he put his mind and all into the role. Then this E-commerce thing start to boom, to cut the story short, He sells Medical Gadgets or Equipment which he imports himself, he knows how to source for loans and presently he is His Own Boss.(Not a Marketer in a Bank, Neither in an Hospital attending to patients)

-What Relevance and Value is it to our Organization in terms of Costs, Process and Benefit: What makes a product stand out and leave the Shop shelves quickly is not necessarily the product packaging, Yes that matters too as it is one of the most important things that catches the eye of the shopper and makes him move to the product standpoint. The Shopper would pick up the Product usually reads through and all, then looks at the price and lastly the benefit. That process is all an Interview is. Some products or applicants might not have the best packaging but looking at their costs and the benefits one would gain could catapult them to the payment stand. Its really not Certificates anymore, its Numbers, Results and Portfolios and Reviews. If you as a Candidate have that, I feel the organization would be doing itself a disservice if you are not picked.

*** Please if you also have a SCATTERED LIFE STORY to Share as an inspiration to people it is also welcomed.