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Service Station Management
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Posted
July 21, 2008
JLZ Business Services |
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Our Service Station Management
Section provides valuable on-line information
for today's service station dealer. Browse away ... we're certain you'll find information
to make your business more successful. |
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Working with Service Station Employees |
Dealing with station employees is always challenging and
will task your best management and leadership skills. The following listing, based on a
good deal of "at the station" experience, are items to consider that
will help keep you out of trouble when dealing with your employees:
- Be willing to pay for the best. Remember, you get exactly what you pay for ... no
more and no less.
- Everyone has their own way of doing things. We all seem to forget this and insist
it be done "our way." A better approach is to give instructions as to what is
needed and allow the individual to provide the method.
- Remember to always criticize in private and to praise in public.
- Remember that EVERYONE needs to feel appreciated. Talk to your employees and make
certain they know they are providing a valuable service.
- Stay visible. Make certain all your employees see you at least once a day. Your
employees need to know you're involved and interested.
- Keep your promises. If you say you're going to do something, do it! There are no
good excuses in the eyes of your employees.
- Ask your employees for suggestions on a regular basis. Do this personally ... not
just with a "suggestion box."
- Allow your employees to fail!
It is well documented that successes are generally
preceded by one or more failures. The employee who is afraid to fail will be less likely
to be innovative. It is up to you to see that none of these failures is fatal to the
business.
know exactly what their responsibilities are and what authority
they have for carrying out these responsibilities. This usually is accomplished by very
precisely written job descriptions.
Each of your employees should be assigned (by mutual
agreement) specific goals to be obtained within a certain period of time. These goals must
be measurable and you will periodically review them so that corrective action, if needed,
may be taken to get back on track. Managing by objectives stresses real results as opposed
to a job description which only lists the individual's responsibilities.
- Constantly motivate your employees to do a good job.
Talk to them about their job
and its importance to the business. Maintain an "employee-of-the-month" program
with an appropriate certificate and a traveling trophy. Make the monthly presentation with
fanfare.
- Implement an effective training program to encourage promotion.
Any employee who
thinks they are in a dead-end job will not perform up to expectations. Remember the
"Peter Principle"... to paraphrase: Everyone rises to their level of
incompetence. See that this does not happen in your organization.
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