According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Business Employment Dynamics, here’s what the survival rate looks like for business with employees:

First Year: About 80% will survive. (The most recent data shows that of the small businesses that opened in March of 2015, 79.9% made it to March of 2016.)Second Year: About 66% (two-thirds) of businesses will survive. (The recent data shows that of the small businesses that opened in March of 2014, 69.4% made it to March of 2016.)Fifth Year: About 50% (one-half) of businesses will survive. (Data shows that of the small businesses that opened in March of 2011, 51% made it to March of 2016.)Tenth Year: About 30% (one-third) of businesses will survive. (The most recent data shows that of the small businesses that opened in March of 2006, 32.8% made it to March of 2016.)

Leadership Cleaned UpGoogle “Leadership” and hundreds of thousand articles will entice you with buzzwords and top 10 lists of what makes a great leader. As you read the articles, you may say to yourself…YES that is me!

I am: passionate, focused, confident, open-minded, transparent, decisive, accountable, insightful, passionate, authentic, personable, positive, persistent, generous, communicative!

How can you truly create a world-class cleaning company inspiring your employees?

InspirationalGreat Leaders are truly inspirational. They run their business with their hearts and their minds. They treat their employees as human beings and not objects. Leaders care on a personal level that each employee has a safe environment to grow within the company and hopefully fulfill their dreams. That each day is a journey, a right to excel, a right to not feel judged, to be ultimately treated as you would treat yourself.

"The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things." --Ronald Reagan

Patrick Lencioni

Two Requirements for Success

Smart Healthy Workplace Environment

Strategy Minimal Gossiping

Marketing Minimal Confusion

Finance High Morale

Technology High Productivity

Low Turnover

Creating A Workplace Where Employees & Company Thrive

Building Cohesive Teams

Clarity - The Big Picture

Repeat, Repeat, Repeat, Repeat, Repeat, Repeat

Reinforcing the purpose of your company

Building Cohesive Teams - Trust Rules!

Building Cohesive Teams - Conflict Resolution

Artificial Harmony * Constructive * Destructive * Mean Spirited Personal Attacks

Building Cohesive Teams - Commitment

Building Cohesive Teams - Accountability

Conflict vs Accountability

Conflict is about issues and ideas

Accountability is about performance and behavior.

Building Cohesive Teams - Focus on Results

The point of building trust, conflict resolutions, commitment and accountability is to achieve results of a world class cleaning company. One of the biggest challenges to team success is not focusing on the overall results of the company as a whole. Teams are focused on what they do as a team instead of how it affects the entire company.

Why you do what you do Ask the following questions to your team:1. Why do I own this company?

2. Why do you work for me?

If the answer is money, that employee will undermine the company and be one of the first to quit.

After each employee has answered, answer Why you exist. Your employees want to know, agree and are passionate about the reason your company exists.

How do we behave?

What are your core values?

Competitive Edge

What do we do?

Clear strategy that defines success and how you differentiate from your competitors.

Goals of Company

How will we succeed?

Clear goals that employees rally around. Employees have a collective sense of ownership of those goals.

Individual Roles

What is most important now?

Employees clearly understand theirs and others roles and responsibilities.

Creating a Playbook

Who must do what?

To achieve the goals of the company.

Repeat, Repeat, Repeat, Repeat, Repeat, Repeat...

It takes 7 times for employees to believe what you as an owner, your office manager or your supervisors is saying to them.

Attaining and Hiring - Building Strong Teams

Humble Hungry Smart“The Ideal Team Player” by Lencioni.

Assessing Employees - Humble

Does she genuinely compliment or praise teammates?

Does she easily admit when she makes a mistake?

Is she willing to do anything asked for the good of the team?

Does she share credit for team accomplishments?

Does she acknowledge her weaknesses?

Does she offer/receive apologies graciously?

Assessing Employees - Hungry

Does she do more than what is required?

Does she feel a sense of personal responsibility for the success of the team?

Does she think about the company and how to contribute after hours?

Does she look for opportunities to help?

Assessing Employees - SmartDoes she seem to know what teammates are feeling?

Does she show empathy to the team?

Does she show an interest in the lives of teammates?

Is she an attentive listener?

Is she aware of how her words and actions impact others on the team?

Is she good at adjusting her behavior and style to fit into the conversation or relationship?

Clarity - Reinforce Your Company’s Values

All new employees need to have an understanding on why you exist, how you behave, and the goals of the company.

Clarity - Reinforce Your Company’s Values

New employees need to understand what is expected of them and met with after the first day, first week, first paycheck, first month, 6 months, and beyond providing clarity and holding them accountable.

Clarity - Reinforce Your Company’s Values

Employees who don’t fit your company’s values are fired. Employees who fit your company’s values but are poor performers are given coaching and assistance they need to succeed.

Clarity - Reinforce Your Company’s Values

Compensation and reward systems are built around your values and goals.

Great Meetings

Creating Great Meetings - Daily

Plan Execute Debrief

Lessons Learned from Blue Angels

Creating Great Meetings - Monthly Team Building

Team Building Exercises: Creating High Morale through meaningful team building activities. Defines your company cultureDefines you as a leaderDemonstrates that you treat your employees as individuals and not objectsCreates bondingCreates commitment not only to your employees, but employees to employees and employee to company

Creating Great Meetings - Leadership Day

Full or partial day team-building events: Uniformity and buy-in of systems and procedures. At the end, teams must clarify what they’ve agreed to so that they do not undermine what was agreed to during the event.

Leadership Cleaned Up