As of this writing, there are no businesses that function without people. People to do the work (make the stuff, sell the stuff, service the stuff); people to buy the product or service; people to provide and sell supplies and inputs to the business.
Most articles about people focus on how important the right people in the right jobs are. And we cannot possibly agree more – in fact, our next post will give you some ideas on how to do this. But for now, let’s focus on the impact your company has on people, both internal and external.
Internal—these are the people you hire or who volunteer within your organization, and there are many, many resources on hiring, onboarding, developing, and coaching internal people. A quick Google search brings up more articles, books, blogs, conferences, webinars, and websites devoted solely to how to manage/supervise the people you hire than you could possibly read in a lifetime.
External—these are the rest of the people in your world—board of directors, customers, community members, your mentors, family and support network, and the families of your internal people. When you begin to inventory the people and lives your business or organization impacts, the ripple effects of your success and its importance become clearer.
We recently worked with a local technology company that wanted to reinforce how important what their people do every day is to the companies they serve. We created an infographic representing all the people their company impacts. They are small—8 employees, however, when they calculated the impact they have on their clients, it was staggering. They impacted (significantly) the ability of several companies to conduct and grow their businesses, which, in turn, impacted the number of people they could hire and promote, which impacted those employees’ families and the customers they ultimately served. Overall, their little company and the service they provide to their clients affect thousands of people. Can you visualize the ripple growing into a tidal wave?
Take a few minutes to do your own “People” inventory. You might be surprised at the profound effect your company has on people, whether internal and external.
- To start, calculate your customer base; how many external people do your serve? In what verticals? What are you helping them do?
- Next, calculate your internal people – how many employees? How many family members? How much impact does your company have on the local economy?
- Then ask your leadership team the four key questions of capacity growth. For these people and the ones who will serve in the future:
- How can we add value to them?
- How can we improve how we appear to them?
- How can we elevate our performance to serve them better?
- How can we innovate to continue to serve them long into the future?
You will find that you have a profound impact, and that impact can have even more ripple effect than it does now by focusing on the impact you are and want to make.
