Sorry Boss, I Can't Give You the Execution You Want

Article by Lin Yishan | Source: Sales and Management (ID: Marketing360)

What is the main difference between big bosses and small bosses? Why is it that when you talk to some bosses, you immediately feel they will only ever be small bosses, no matter whether their business is in a hot trend or not?

After thinking about it, the biggest possibility is the "poverty mentality" this person exhibits.

I have known a boss for many years. In fact, he has been at the so-called "hot trend" several times, but ten years have passed, and I see no change in him or his company. Still lukewarm, not living well, but not dying either.

One day he asked me why his employees always disappoint him, and why even the best ideas change when it comes to execution. Actually, I really wanted to tell him: Sorry, the execution you want, your employees really can't give you.

You want to hire indentured servants, yet demand they all be elites

My friend can represent many small bosses. To put it nicely, he has a strong cost-consciousness; to put it bluntly, he has a serious poverty mentality.

The department head said, "Boss, design changes quickly now. Let Lao Li go for a few days of training; the short-term class is only a week." My friend always says, "What's the big deal? He can figure it out in a few days. There's no technology involved. Training wastes time and money." Fine, from then on, when the department head makes a budget, the first consideration is not what training employees should get to help the company progress, but how to save as much money as possible for the company. The result is naturally that employees don't get enough training and thus can't complete tasks efficiently and with high quality.

The person in charge of recruitment also saves money by only hiring those with low salary demands, regardless of whether the person meets the job requirements. Because they know clearly that even if someone is suitable, the boss won't approve a monthly salary over 20,000. The boss believes that three cobblers with their wits combined equal Zhuge Liang, but in reality, one Zhuge Liang can beat a thousand troops. Three people who score 60 out of 100 cannot combine to produce one person who scores 99.

The finance department, to save money, is unwilling to spend tens of thousands of yuan on a mature financial software, causing the finance staff to work overtime every day.

A client who has cooperated for many years has never been visited by anyone. When asked, it's because visiting clients requires business trips, which means transportation and accommodation, which means expenses. Well, I don't know if the money saved is more than the loss of business opportunities due to reduced client meetings to control sales expenses.

There are also many bosses with a poverty mentality in hiring: treating employee wages and benefits as costs, saving wherever possible, resulting in a massive loss of excellent employees...

Thank your employees for their lack of execution, or you would have been buried long ago

Boss, you keep complaining that employees lack execution. I think you should bow to your employees. Fortunately, their execution doesn't meet your standards; otherwise, the stronger their execution, the faster your company would die. Every year, many companies die, not because of poor employee execution, but often because the boss is too clever.

Today you think online education is promising and tell everyone not to miss the trend; next month you think the sharing economy is good and we should do something. You have one plan after another, one layout after another. The problem is, having foresight is good, and small enterprises need agility, but as a small enterprise, being down-to-earth is more important. Talking about future IPOs, valuations, and stock options is not impossible, but employees with some brains, at least the backbone, generally look at results, not ads. (If they don't have that brain, then don't expect execution.) So, a leader with chaotic planning and no execution, talking about execution every day, what else can employees do but secretly scroll through their Moments while listening?

You say isn't the boss mainly responsible for planning? Wrong. Ma Yun can now mainly do planning, Wang Jianlin can mainly do planning, because they have led a large group of practical doers who can execute well. But for small enterprises, especially startups, sorry, you are the biggest executor, the salesperson carrying the most performance, the overtime dog doing the most dirty and tiring work!

If the boss is incompetent, scolding the troops is useless

Your capable subordinate says, "This year we need to implement Plan A. The market education is mature, and we are fully prepared. We need to act quickly to seize the first-mover advantage." But you insist on waiting, until the big players enter and do well, then you think it's definitely the right path and tell the team to start immediately. My god, if you want to commit suicide, don't drag others down. So, is it better for them to have strong execution or not? The stronger it is, the faster you die.

Yes, small enterprises lack funds, and money is important, but in a new market, competing with big players, following them is death; only by taking the first step can you win. So you see, awesome bosses also scold employees, but they also lead them. Those who are incompetent themselves and shift all blame to employees have problems with both character and ability.

People like to find fault in others and easily see through others' problems. Just as bosses hope employees don't have an employee mentality, employees actually hope bosses don't have a poverty mentality!

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