We are grateful for continued work with successful small business leaders who care equally about the performance of their companies and the wellbeing of their people. It is a great pleasure to facilitate the value of workforce planning as part of your strategic business plans.  Every year your teams validate the influence of employee alignment and the power of personal engagement on your revenue goal and overall business sustainability.  Your comittment to developing the confidence, productivity, and contributions of your team is critical to ongoing financial success, and to achieving your personal goals on your preferred time line.
 
This year visible progress was a top priority.  Making progress visible sometimes boils down to sharpening how a person percieves his or her role.  After one year with the company a team member was re-boarded as part of a larger transition. Her expression was impressive and her words remained with me all year.  She said, “I feel like the ampersand in the company name, like I am not quite part of the team“.  The owner, a good manager, had no idea she was feeling this way.  We designed a learning and development track that would change this employee’s perception of her role and her experience within the company culture.  Three months later, during a progress check meeting, this employee shared that she felt relieved and more engaged as a member of the team. She looks forward to increasing her capability in the specified area of expertise outlined in her re-boarding plan. She is making a visible contribution to the company revenue plan by meeting established financial goals.
Each new year provides an opportunity to assess how your team members are feeling about their roles. The clarity and timing of a personal development plan will enable you to achieve reliable fiancial contributions by all employees, and avoid problems before you face sudden turnover of key employees.
 
 
The New Year
 

• Maria has been awarded the Strategic HR Business Partner designation, SHRPB. This capability further empowers us to bring focus on alignment of employee contributions with financisl growth goals.

 

• A compensation consultant has been working with FIREPOWER clients to complete employee income strategies in alignment with national standards and company financial goals

 

• The FIREPOWER publications will be re-issued via the website starting January 2018, and coauthored by a long established associate who you will recognize!

 

• Maria will be speaking at the 2018 Financial Planning Association (FPA) Retreat in Phoenix, to share strategies on workforce continuity and practice sustainability.

 

• A recruiting system has been integrated in response to continued requests for hiring assistance. Avoiding expensive and exhausting re-hire cycles remains central to ensuring the stability of your teams. You have continued to seek our help in securing employee associations that you can develop as long term associates.  Your desire to foster personal growth as you enhance service offerings and leadership opportunities requires the right people, in the right stage of their careers and lives. We are working on our first project and I look forward to helping you with candidate searches.

 

Stand out lessons we are taking into the New Year

 
This year our clients held strong to their beliefs in the business cultures which they have worked hard to cultivate, and have asked for increased guidance in meeting performance expectations.
 
On-boarding became a priority, as clients learned the value of hiring with clear and cohesive expectations, and the importance of ongoing performance checks and balances.
 
Clients learned that retaining and developing teams is not a “one and done” experience.  Over the past twelve months the unique needs of each business team were assessed and realigned to provoke ongoing growth.
 
The re-introduction of Team Meeting Audits and Scorecards were implemented to guide effective meeting content and engage full participation. This proved to be a good leadership tool as clients understood the critical balance between weekly agendas and the actions necessary to meet annual growth goals.
 
Team contributions have been leveraged and communicated as client teams learned to recognize their values as contributors to business growth and continuity.  Their impact on client retention, expansion, and shared company goals is part of everyone’s agenda.  Renewed alignment of employee teams has resulted in increased revenue.
 
Enrichment is a personal priority, and to better serve you I will continue to enhance the FIREPOWER capabilities for engaging and developing your teams, and for improving your top and bottom line performance.

I look forward to making your growth goals a reality in the New Year.