The Human Calculator
Thankfully all humans are different not only in appearance, but the way our brain functions and thinks. My daily work life is mainly consumed by numbers which for most would be a nightmare, but this I do enjoy. There are no pieces of paper or a calculator in site and this is all done whilst on the go. I find this easy whether it is percentages or any type of calculation.
Today I had no idea a staff member was greeting me as I was in mid calculation working out a costing. I later apologized and explained what I was doing and they were a little shocked. This I admit is not normal and most people do not know costings and profitability of every item.
I have tried to teach my kids on the process of staying on top of things and this crunching the numbers on the go they cannot do. I understand they think differently, but at least they understand why they need to know. This is why I do the stock take on my own and chase them all away as it takes me a few hours compared to all of them taking a few days.
In business it is imperative that you stay on top of all your costings knowing exactly how much things cost and how much profit is being generated. They say if you look after your cents then the dollars will look after themselves and this is so true.
Currently I have been monitoring the staff members involved in the punch bag area and weirdly enough I do not know all their names yet, but I know how much each member generates as a monetary value each day. I know this does sound terrible not knowing names yet looking at each individual as a dollar sign instead.
New staff members have no idea that they are being constantly monitored against the clock for certain tasks and is just one of my habits. If I notice that a task is taking too long I will assist letting them know what is expected. This is not being a slave driver, but knowing how long a particular task takes and adding on extra being fair and only then questioning. Most bosses have never done the work themselves and why they are ignorant and hold very little respect with their employees because they do not understand the jobs their employees do.
Today I worked with a small team off two guys off loading a container which took 45 minutes. When we finished I then asked them why that task took them over 3 hours yesterday? This is a subtle way of telling them to pull up their socks without grilling them.
Numbers is what makes the work day make sense whether it is through time or profitability. The buying aspect is way more important than the selling as buying depicts what profits you make and buying at the right price guarantees you the profit. The trick in this however is you need to know your prices and if you don't then you will always over pay.
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You are probably a very hard boss to work for :)
Having said that, it is important to know what your employees are doing and where the challenges are. You are doing a great job for your business and that is most important. Just don't forget to use a carrot so to speak once in a while ;)
Helps to be an inspirational leader and not just a boss.
I would say hard, but fair and those who have been around and have a decent work ethic are well rewarded. We are such a small crew of 16 that we cannot carry anyone and they normally chat to the person if they notice any slacking.