Cards on the table: I’m not a fan of red tape and more regulation. You will often find me arguing long and hard for less red tape and fewer rules as I think it kills creativity.
However, I have to admit that it has not gone unnoticed by me that those items that are regulated within business has a tendency to be first on the budget list when it comes to training people.
Not withstanding my smouldering jealousy for my Heath & Safety Training Colleagues who ride the regulatory wave with aplomb, I am coming to the conclusion that it is regulation, of all businesses not just the big boys, alone that will drive MD’s and FD’s to stop counting the paperclips and put hands in wallets for team briefing talks to increase participation and motivation.
The Construction Industry has had compulsory toolbox talks for many years now. They do it, I suspect, because they have to by law. I wonder if the law should be extended to cover all companies. For those of you who are unfamiliar with toolbox talks, they are a way of ensuring health & safety is top of the agenda for all staff (as construction is a dangerous environment with many recorded incidents and fatalities every year).
Whilst the construction industry reaps the benefits of this structured communication approach, and we can argue that they could make much more of the opportunity handed to them to communicate even more effectively, there is a strong case to say that regulation of this type for all businesses would reap similar rewards.
You could call it whatever you like, something more appropriate to your business perhaps?
How about Pride Sessions (Hotels)? Or even Pipeline Parlays (Oil)?
The number one issue facing businesses of all sizes is communication. The good one’s don’t need regulation and will be unfazed by any new rules for them.
It is the medium sized and smaller businesses that struggle to implement strategy because of poor communication and leadership. It is they who will reap the really big rewards of regulation in this vital area and not just in Health & Safety. I know sales and profits will rise as a direct result of consulting with people that want to do an excellent job for their customers.
The good news: there is already a great way to get effective communication going within your company, that will not cost a fortune, add credibility to the leadership team and create value of quality for customers and staff alike.
I will write about this next week.
So, until then, take care.
mervynmurray 