Consequences

17th April 2014

I wonder if as a child you will remember playing the game “Consequences.” Basically each person took it in turns to write a name, and then a place where they met, what they said or did to each other, and then finally “and the consequence was…..” And the point is that for everything said or done there should be a consequence, particularly if the thing done was detrimental to others. Without getting too political, once again we find our MP’s claiming money where they shouldn’t be, and as usual there have been no real consequences, and apart from a less than convincing apology, essentially nothing has changed. As a result of that, I am prepared to bet that it will only be a matter of time before yet another scandal arises, along exactly the same lines.

The same thing applies to business. Staff should understand that should they decide to step outside the business rules, upset customers, break or lose tools, and/or generally flaunt the systems in your business, then there will be consequences. I regularly meet business owners who are pulling their hair out because their staff are continually doing things they shouldn’t be, and as a result they lose money on a job, or potentially even a client. The staff member or members apologise profusely saying it will never happen again, the owner grudgingly accepts this hoping for improvements in their work ethics, and a few months later exactly the same thing happens.

The only way to ensure that things change and improve, is to ensure that there are consequences for the originator of the problem, not just for the business and the business owner. Make it clear what the consequences are, and impose them. I guarantee it won’t be long before you see considerable changes for the better.

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