Companies are people too: if only we knew which techniques and strategies would positively impact leadership and management effectiveness.

My frustration was unbearable. I knew exactly where I wanted the golf ball to land, but the harder I tried to hit the ball, the wilder my shots became. My golf instructor had told me to keep my head down, eyes on the ball. But what did he know? I asked myself. He had all day to practice. As a last resort, I began to follow the instructions he had given, and amazingly, the ball landed closer to the pin.

Managing employees can be a lot like playing golf. We know where we want the company and staff to go, but the more we push, the more resistant our staff may become. We have the best of intentions, but results are not forthcoming. We throw up our hands in frustration, not knowing what to do next. If only someone could demonstrate the right procedures for achieving the secrets to success! If only we knew which techniques and strategies would positively impact leadership and management effectiveness.

Most of us know how to evaluate the components of the doors and hardware we sell to our customer market base. What we really need is an outline for developing and managing our greatest resource--our people.

As our global community continues to increase its pace, businesses are being dynamically challenged. We must keep up with industry changes, yet be sensitive to the human element of our business. Maintaining a balance between these two areas is critical to our survival, success and, most important, our competitive edge in the marketplace. For the materials side of your business, the industry has tests and procedures to validate the quality and application of any given product. This same process, applied to the selection and development of your employees, also will bring dramatic improvements.

While global competition presses us to become more expert in our industry, this demand puts increased pressure on your employees. This situation creates the need for companies to implement proven personnel systems that permit them to lead and manage effectively, regardless of their size. The Consulting Resource Group (CRG), working with various companies across North America, has found that problems are similar everywhere; most small to medium-size businesses have few personnel systems in place.

Many important factors can impact on employee selection and development. As employers, we must now see the holistic picture in order to develop and nurture our people. This includes issues not often stressed, such as personal health risk factors and lifestyle. What attitudes and habits to your employees or prospective employees have toward their health? Many companies are adding incentive plans for individuals to be accountable for their own health and lifestyle practices. Just recently, one of our clients implemented a program that increased pay for non-smokers. This program was welcomed by most staff.

Other areas, such as drug testing, are more difficult to introduce into personnel assessment. This may become an issue of human rights and freedoms as well as job protection. Each state or province has its own rulings; you should investigate your situation locally.

The final area for consideration is skill testing for job knowledge and psychological evaluations to determine person-job fit. Many skill-based tests are available in the marketplace to determine the skill level of an employee, i.e., typing speed, mathematical abilities, language level, etc. The skill-based evaluations are used to develop a program to satisfy technical training needs. Psychological evaluations and tests help create awareness in individual areas, from stress levels to personal values, preferred work styles and extent of job fit.

Just as in our golf game, our business should swing slow and steady, with the style and follow-through of each hit consistent with the previous one. Keep your eye on the business. The golfer making the fewest errors wins the prize. Transferring that knowledge to our business: Consistency in the personnel process creates winners with less frustration and fewer unpleasant surprises.

First, we must recognize that having a personnel system in place will help our business generate that needec consistency and, as a result, increased productivity. We may not have the wrong people working for us; we may have the right people doing the wrong job. With increased stress levels, ensuring that individuals love what they do for us is paramount to stability and performance. How do we do this? By creating awareness around the issue of work style and job fit and by making a conscious effort to make this priority. Having knowledgeable people in human resource development becomes nothing short of necessity.

After much research, CRG has developed a solution to the challenges of employee management that you can use without having to earn a degree on the subject. It is a consulting process of nine steps called the Comprehensive Personnel System, which is based on the premise that paying now eliminates paying a higher price later through unhappy employee relationships and lost work efficiency. The nine steps in the process of selecting and developing exceptional employees are as follows:

* Job Analysis -results required, job tasks, social skills -preferred behavioral style -difficulty level of job -training requirements.

Before offering job, you should know what you need done.

* Job Description

Specify in writing: -results expected, tasks and roles -extent of authority -performance criteria -progress evaluation date.

Unless this is written, critical information may be omitted or misunderstood. Make the job description available for reference at all times. Discuss it with workers during orientation and during performance review sessions.

* Screening Process

Rate applicants: -skills, knowledge, work history -extent of training/education -application completeness and relevance.

Prepare a short list.

* Applicant Interview

Assess applications: -skills, knowledge, work style -perception of job -past work experience -interview impressions -testing results.

The use of tests and awareness tools will create a most effective interview. Most employers overlook the importance of this stage.

* Applicant-Job Fit

Rate applicants: -skills, knowledge -training required -interview performance -past work references -general suitability for your company.

* Orientation Process -introduce work tasks and expected results -suggest work behavioral style -define appraisal criteria -place on a work team -note length of probationary period.

*Performance Review

Line feedback about: -results achieved -problem areas -performance of tasks -relationship factors -performance goals -probationary status.

* Development Plans

Facilitate agreement about: -present strengths, past successes -areas of difficulty -areas/plans for training -on-the-job coaching -date of next review.

* Career Path -future job potential -plans for development -personal and business goal objectives.

This consultative process is effective for small and large companies and is applied in the same manner for both. Use the CRG checklist to identify areas where you have specific needs.

With this system, employers can concentrate more effectively on the individual in less time. Any areas of the checklist not currently being assessed at your business will provide a focal point for future attention.

In his book, titled "The E Myth," Michael Gerber tells why 80 percent of small businesses fail even though owned and operated by highly motivated personnel. The central cause is that most company owners are so busy working "in" their business that they do not have time to work "on" the business. The results spell disaster for many operations. The answer to this dilemma is not to leave anything to chance: Systemize everything, including your personnel process. Develop your staff profesionally. Use the CRG system to create consistency. Take the time to implement these nine steps. One of the options now available is introducing this entire process on software, from tracking factual information (wages, seniority, pension) to assessing "soft" information about an individual: job style, preferred work style and values in relationship to the work responsibilities and the values of the company.

A major focus is the issue of worker-job fit, in other words, the element of personal style and the way it relates to specific job performance. While this concept is not new, its innovative application helps people develop as individuals in relationship to their strengths and weaknesses.

From birth, each of us adopts a behavioral style that is uniquely our own. Over the years, these early preferences change very little. Though we are constantly developing and maturing as individuals, our preferred work styles and behavioral tendencies stay relatively constant. With this in mind, it becomes apparent that, as employers, we must match tasks with the individual behavioral style that best fill the specific job. Our selection is critical to long-term stability in the workplace.

Two of the programs we use when training and consulting with our clients are the Personal Style Indicator and the Job Style Indicator. Every time a client tries these programs, "the lights go on." The CRG software program "PeopleSystems SoftInfo" helps organizations of various sizes determine everything from personal style to job fit and assessing the company values in relationship to the employees. This wealth of information helps employers understand the needs of each individual, from training to teamwork support and the leading and managing styles that best suit each employee, thereby creating an environment for top performance.

With change being the norm rather than the exception, adult learning must be constant and ongoing. Several avenues are available to help the current work force deal with change and retraining. Fears surrounding change certainly have increased in the past decade and those businesses currently pro-active in enhancing their teams will be far more prepared for the challenges that lie ahead. Now is not the time to put our heads in the sand and hope that everything will be okay. With knowledge doubling every five to seven years, keeping our work teams informed is a major task in itself. If this is true for us, it also will be true for our competitors. There are many companies across North America that make it their business to develop other companies, human resources: It is obvious that developing staff is a high priority.

When I listened to the wisdom of my golf instructor, it became apparent that I had been trying to hit the ball through sheer determination, rather than letting the club do some of the work for me. By focusing my attention on the ball, my shots became more accurate and traveled much farther.

Leading staff to peak performance is not that much different than being successful in golf. First, have your goal or outcome in mind. If you don't know where you are going, it will be difficult for others to follow. Second, use an advisor to help you put together a plan or process that will bring about the desired outcome. Third, don't try to implement or introduce change by yourself. Allow the staff to participate in this process. Your strenth will come from utilizing their full abilities.

The commitment to employee training is like keeping your eye on the ball. Whatever you do, don't shift your focus. That is a large part of the success formula. We believe that making the choice to concentrate on your human resources by utilizing the programs and processes currently available will keep your company strong and competitive in the 21st century. The edge you offer your clients will not only be the products you sell, but the values and service your highly staff brings to the marketplace.

Should you continue to thrash at golf balls or should you ask your instructor to teach you the skills to achieve an excellent drive every time? Most of this information is common sense, but unfortunately, not common practice. Simply put, the people at your operation are your most valuable resource. Treat them like your most valued customer.

Ken Keis is a professional speaker and the vice president of marketing for the Consulting Resource Group, Abbotsford, British Columbia, and Sumas, Washington (604/852-0566).