| Have you ever been sailing on a beautiful summer's | | | | employees will find an easier boat to blow their |
| day, the wind perfect, the water ideal? But when | | | | powerful wind into, while your anchors will continue to |
| you look around, you notice there were a number of | | | | slow down your progress.Many organizations continue |
| other sailboats, with their sails as full as yours, but | | | | to work on developing their anchors instead of |
| some are much faster, and you feel like you are | | | | harvesting the wind that blows into their sails. |
| standing still!You look around and find your anchor is | | | | Anchors will always be anchors, and they may have |
| running along the bottom of the marina. You were | | | | moments of promise in transforming into a sail, BUT |
| still moving forward, but no where near the speed as | | | | the trend is, they almost always revert back to being |
| the other sailboats out that day.Is this happening to | | | | an anchor. A good read on this topic is a book titled |
| your business? Are your sails full of great | | | | "If You Don't Make Waves, You'll Drown" by Dave |
| opportunities? Is your competition passing you by? | | | | Anderson. One of the book's lessons is, many of |
| Does your business lack the momentum to get you | | | | today's leaders spend the majority of their time on |
| out to the open water?Many businesses are dragging | | | | the non-performers, instead of their performers. |
| their anchor. What do I mean by "dragging their | | | | Again, continuing with this practice will have your |
| anchor"? This anchor can refer to employees who | | | | performers looking for another stage to perform |
| just don't have what is takes to be successful in | | | | on.Can you imagine a sailboat with no sails and all |
| your business line or are the type of employee who | | | | anchors? Business owners need to remove the |
| brings down the rest of the team. The anchor stops | | | | anchors or at least secure your anchors onto your |
| or slows down your momentum in your | | | | sailboat and focus on the sails in your organization. |
| company.Having employees on your team who | | | | Sails do not need a lot of effort, however, they do |
| consistently challenge the corporation in a positive | | | | need attention, regular support, and care.Harvest the |
| manner is a good thing! They keep your company | | | | winds in your company so you can have full sails to |
| competitive in the marketplace. However having an | | | | allow you to compete in the marketplace and keep |
| employee or group of employees who weigh down | | | | pace, ahead of your competition.Stuart R. Crawford |
| your company in a negative manner, is something | | | | is the Director of Business Development, at IT |
| you need to act upon.Negative employees can knock | | | | Matters Inc. ( a Microsoft Gold Partner, Small Business |
| the wind out of your company's sails! The team | | | | Specialist and Microsoft IMPACT Award Finalist 2005 - |
| members who fill your company's sails daily, with | | | | Network Infrastructure Solution of the Year. Stuart is |
| great ideas and forward momentum will soon | | | | also a certified coaching practioner with execuCoach |
| become tired and lack the energy, required to move | | | | International ( He can be reached at |
| your sailboat forward. Eventually these same | | | | scrawford@itmatters.ca. |