David Colman on leadership: How to spot a good company to work for
Monday, October 22, 2007 | 09:22 AM ET
Money Talks is a collection of daily columns from The Business Network, which airs weekday mornings on CBC Radio One at 5:45 a.m. ET (6:15 a.m. ET in N.L.).
By David Colman, a partner with TriOpus Group in Regina
(Listen to the original audio)
I’ve recently been reading a piece by author and speaker Kevin Hogan. The theme of the article I read focused upon the idea that who we hang around with will have profound impact upon who we are. Well, Kevin got me thinking. If it is true about individuals, it must be equally true about the organizations we work for.
In many parts of the world today it is very much a seller’s market for talent. In other words, you can probably be quite choosy who you work for. Here is my corporate translation of Kevin Hogan’s seven suggestions for whom to hang out with:
Only associate with companies that focus upon winning. Whatever you do, don’t hang out with losers. It could rub off on you.
Companies are made up of people. If these people are miserable and unpleasant, give them a wide berth
Are these companies doers? Only associate with people that get things done. Avoid people and companies who are ‘fixin’ to do things
Make sure the company you are considering sees problems coming before they occur. You don’t want to work for an organization that doesn’t think ahead and isn’t innovative
Positive people change lives and organizations. Look for positive attitudes in your potential employers.
How do they communicate? Is communication open, inclusive and effective? A good way to find this out is attend one of the company’s meetings. You could learn volumes from this.
Companies that dream are one thing. But is that enough? Companies that do, have.
Well, you are thinking, this is all well and good. But what is the first step in making this all happen?
Start talking to people. Talk to any employees you can find and ask them for their candid opinions. If they love the company they will tell you with pride. Anything less than that should be a concern.
Talk to customers who have had both positive and negative experiences, and ask them how they were treated.
Call the company’s Customer Care Centre and see how friendly and knowledgeable the employees are.
Learn the company’s mission, visions, and values statements and try and validate those statements with your real life research and experiences.
And if you still don’t know what to do and need further inspiration, hear the words of Walt Disney. He said, “The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.”
-- David Colman in Regina
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