James Gerdsen Changing a Business

It is never easy to change a business. James Gerdsen can tell you from experience. It takes faith in yourself and knowing you have a good idea and a sound vision. It is easy to get knocked off track by, well, everything. There will be resistance from employees and lots of self doubt. Internal negative thoughts will be the most difficult to overcome. The most important thing to do is stay the course and focus on the goal.  Make sure your goal encompasses the next year, next five, and next fifteen years of the business’s life. 

James Gerdsen says the best way to be profitable is to get the employees to pull the company forward in unison towards the goal.  The metaphor James Gerdsen uses is a rowing team. The rowing team will not win if one person is swimming and pushing behind the boat, but if the team paddles and pulls together they reach the finish line. Each employee must be empowered and have trust instilled in their abilities. James Gerdsen has found that education and incentives are the keys to success. Properly and thoroughly train your employees. Then give them incentives to want to work harder, make them pull the company forward.

How to incentivize employees will vary from company to company, according to James Gerdsen. An example is a sales job. If the employee is paid hourly there is no incentive to sell more products per hour. If the sales person is given a commission per sale there is a proper incentive to sell more products per hour. Of course there are many variations to the base/commission pay and it again, will differ depending on the company. 

It is no easy task to change a business, but there is great reward if done properly. James Gerdsen says to remember to not get discouraged and stay the course. If the project is abandoned before it has been seen through, change will not happen, and it will make it even more difficult the next time the company tries to change.