企業(yè)家內(nèi)幕網(wǎng)絡(luò)是美國(guó)的一個(gè)在線社區(qū),美國(guó)創(chuàng)業(yè)界最睿智和最有影響力的一些大咖會(huì)在這里及時(shí)回答與創(chuàng)業(yè)和職業(yè)有關(guān)的問(wèn)題。今天為大家分享的是Ultimate Software公司創(chuàng)始人、CEO斯科特?謝爾在“萌芽期的創(chuàng)業(yè)者應(yīng)該知道關(guān)于創(chuàng)業(yè)的哪些事?”這一問(wèn)題下的回答。 我所知道的關(guān)于創(chuàng)業(yè)的一切,都是從我父親那里學(xué)來(lái)的。作為一個(gè)在紐約長(zhǎng)大的孩子,我親眼看著他白手起家,創(chuàng)辦了一家成功的企業(yè)。我父親的經(jīng)商之道非常簡(jiǎn)單直白,卻也很有道理:既然員工來(lái)照顧我們的公司了,公司就要反過(guò)來(lái)照顧好他們。 許多年輕的創(chuàng)業(yè)人把心思主要花在了商業(yè)計(jì)劃、利潤(rùn)空間和融資話術(shù)上。這些當(dāng)然都很重要,但永遠(yuǎn)不要忘了最基本的問(wèn)題:你想經(jīng)營(yíng)一家什么樣的公司?你想讓誰(shuí)來(lái)幫你建立一家這樣的公司? 我從創(chuàng)辦Ultimate軟件公司的第一天起,就時(shí)刻牢記著父親的建議:每一天都要照顧好每一個(gè)人,他們會(huì)多次報(bào)答你的這份人情的。對(duì)我來(lái)說(shuō),成功的“秘訣”并非一份寫(xiě)得盡善盡美的市場(chǎng)計(jì)劃,而是有正確的團(tuán)隊(duì)來(lái)執(zhí)行它。 要想促進(jìn)業(yè)務(wù)增長(zhǎng),做一個(gè)成功的創(chuàng)業(yè)者,就必須要對(duì)你的員工給予足夠幫助。對(duì)于這一點(diǎn),我有如下建議: 舍得為員工投資 在我們創(chuàng)業(yè)早期,我就制定了一個(gè)“死規(guī)定”:公司必須為員工和他們的家屬全額繳納醫(yī)保和養(yǎng)老金。這一點(diǎn)即便在今天的創(chuàng)業(yè)公司里也不多見(jiàn)(在美國(guó)的100人以下的企業(yè)里,只有14%的公司這樣做了)。在27年前,這種做法簡(jiǎn)直聞所未聞。 你不妨想想,對(duì)員工能夠做出哪些承諾,并且能夠做到言出必踐,使員工知道你真的舍得為他們投資。工作餐和團(tuán)隊(duì)聚餐都有助于培養(yǎng)企業(yè)文化,但你要認(rèn)識(shí)到究竟是什么培養(yǎng)了公司的核心價(jià)值——有可能是靈活的工作時(shí)間,也有可能是慷慨的帶薪休假政策,至少這些都使員工達(dá)到了工作與生活的平衡。經(jīng)營(yíng)一家企業(yè)難免會(huì)遇到高潮和低谷,但只要你始終堅(jiān)持把員工放在第一位,他們就會(huì)不離不棄地陪伴著你,一起經(jīng)歷美好和慘淡的時(shí)光。 像球隊(duì)一樣思考 我本身是運(yùn)動(dòng)員出身,對(duì)體育也保持著終身的喜愛(ài),我認(rèn)為體育和商業(yè)是有很多聯(lián)系的。一些最優(yōu)秀的球隊(duì)之所以能保持常勝,并不僅僅是因?yàn)樗麄冇凶詈玫那騿T。冠軍團(tuán)隊(duì)不僅擁有最好的球員,更重要的是擁有最好的教練。他們不僅全身心地投入到球隊(duì)之中,而且知道如何讓這些同樣專注的球員發(fā)揮自身的最大潛力。當(dāng)然,并非你招聘來(lái)的每一名員工都得有明星運(yùn)動(dòng)員或明星教練的覺(jué)悟,但保持這種團(tuán)隊(duì)的心態(tài)總歸是件好事。 在企業(yè)里,每一個(gè)人都很重要,所有人都要朝著同一個(gè)目標(biāo)努力。不管你從事的是哪個(gè)行業(yè),只要你能找到并留住最出色和最專注的人才,并對(duì)他們加以訓(xùn)導(dǎo),你就能年年打進(jìn)季后賽,并且捧到“獎(jiǎng)杯”。 內(nèi)部晉升 企業(yè)為了發(fā)展,往往會(huì)到市場(chǎng)上去找頂尖的人才。然而很多時(shí)候,最好的人才其實(shí)已經(jīng)在你的團(tuán)隊(duì)里了。所以你要著重中團(tuán)隊(duì)內(nèi)部提拔領(lǐng)導(dǎo)職務(wù),而不是把從外面“空降”當(dāng)成第一選項(xiàng)。“空降”來(lái)的人才雖然有適合的技能,卻不一定能契合你的公司文化。而你的現(xiàn)有員工對(duì)公司的了解更深,與公司的核心價(jià)值也有更緊密的聯(lián)系,他們?yōu)榱斯镜拈L(zhǎng)遠(yuǎn)發(fā)展也投入了很多(尤其是在你顯示了你舍得向他們投資之后)。如果你能將現(xiàn)有員工提升到更高職位上,你的員工知道自己在公司內(nèi)部也能實(shí)現(xiàn)職業(yè)發(fā)展,就會(huì)與企業(yè)建立起更緊密的聯(lián)系,進(jìn)而促進(jìn)業(yè)務(wù)增長(zhǎng)。Ultimate公司的一些高管以及最成功的一些干部,都是我們的第一批員工。 俗話說(shuō),大道至簡(jiǎn)。最有效的商業(yè)戰(zhàn)略往往看起來(lái)很簡(jiǎn)單,但它們恰恰是最強(qiáng)大的。就像我從父親那里學(xué)到的一樣:給你信心的人是你的員工,能讓你的企業(yè)繼續(xù)發(fā)展的也是你的員工。作為一名創(chuàng)業(yè)者,要想持續(xù)成功,就要始終關(guān)注對(duì)于企業(yè)來(lái)說(shuō)最重要的東西。永遠(yuǎn)要將投資你的員工放在首位。(財(cái)富中文網(wǎng)) 譯者:樸成奎 |
The Entrepreneur Insiders network is an online community where the most thoughtful and influential people in America’s startup scene contribute answers to timely questions about entrepreneurship and careers. Today’s answer to the question, “What should budding entrepreneurs know about building a business?” is written by Scott Scherr, founder and CEO of Ultimate Software. Everything I know about building a business, I learned from my father. As a kid in the Bronx, I watched him build a successful company from the ground up. His straightforward approach to business just made sense: The people were there to take care of the business, and the business was there to take care of the people. Many young entrepreneurs focus mainly on the business plan, profit margins, and mastering the investor pitch. While all of that matters, it’s important to remember the fundamental questions: What kind of company do you want to run? And who do you want to help you build that business? Remembering my father’s advice helped guide Ultimate from day one: Take care of everyone, every day, and they’ll return the favor many times over. To me, the “secret sauce” isn’t in the best-laid marketing plans—it’s in having the right team to execute on them. Here are a few ways you can foster business growth and success by focusing on your people: Make a big investment in your people In our early days, one of my “non-negotiables” was 100% paid-for health care benefits for employees and their families, and 401(k) matching for every employee. That’s uncommon for startups today (only 14% of companies with 100 or fewer employees offer a 401(k) plan) and it was virtually unheard of 27 years ago. Think of the ways you can walk the talk so your employees know you’re truly invested in them. Catered lunches and group celebrations help preserve your culture, but remember what cultivates your core values. Maybe it’s flexible hours or generous PTO to support employees’ work-life balance. Running a successful business has many highs and lows. But when you’re relentless in putting your people first, they’ll continue on the journey with you, weathering the good times and bad. Think like a (sports) team As a former athlete and lifelong fan, I see many connections between sports and business. The best teams that consistently win are not simply teams with good players. Championship teams have the best players and are coached by leaders who are fully committed and know how to get the most out of their players who are equally focused. Not every person you hire has to be a star athlete or accomplished coach, but it helps to have that team mentality. Every person counts and must be working toward the same goal. No matter what business you’re in, if you find and keep the best, most committed talent, and coach them, you’ll make it to the playoffs every year—and bring home championships. Promote from within When businesses are looking to grow, they’ll usually look to the competitive market to find top talent. However, many times, the best people are already on your team. Focus on building leadership from within, rather than hiring the first outsider with the right skill set, but who may not be a cultural fit. Your existing employees have a greater knowledge of the company, a deeper connection to its values, and a more personal investment in its long-term success (especially when you’ve shown you’re invested in theirs). Developing your current people also helps foster stronger relationships and business growth as your employees build their careers with your company. Some of Ultimate’s highest-ranking—and most successful—people were our very first employees.、 The business strategies that work best often seem simple, but they’re also the most powerful. Like I learned from my father: Your people keep you inspired, and keep your business moving forward. To achieve continued success as an entrepreneur, keep your eye on what matters most. Always remember to invest in your people first. |