BLACKSUITS

Unravel your FLAVOURS

KRISTY KEATING, CEO AND DIRECTOR OF BLACKSUITS, DISCUSSES THE RIGHT COMBINATION OF PEOPLE TO TAKE YOUR BUSINESS TO THE NEXT LEVEL

Any recipe is only as good as the combination of ingredients and passion put into cooking the dish – and a memorable meal no doubt leaves one speaking well of the establishment. Is this not the result we all want from our businesses? Some free flowing vive voce?

Ever tasted paprika alone? It’s downright awful! But paired with the right combination of ingredients, and it enhances the overall flavour of the dish. It is interdependent – just like our human resources. Consider this analogy. People – our talent – are the flavour of our business, and no matter how good your core ingredients (resources) are, if you don’t have herbs and spices to bring them together, your “recipe” is no better than any other. Our leadership style is our cooking method, and no matter how good your recipes are, if you use the incorrect cooking method, your recipe may be ruined.

When the public experience your business (for example, dispatch, sales or finance departments), they must want to applaud you. We all, within reason, have access to the same resources, however without the unique “flavours” (human resources or talent), this means nothing.

Human resources are your “company flavours”, your cooking method is your leadership style. As a leader take the time to analyse your resources, identify their strengths and weaknesses, what they pair well with and how their flavours are optimised with various cooking methods.

Understand your flavours, how to pair them with other ingredients. Understand which are unique and which are easily replaceable. Understand what flavours work well in many recipes, and which only work well in a few – but are crucial. This information is invaluable in your succession planning. By understanding your staff thoroughly, their skills and capabilities, their emotions and behaviours, your succession planning, skills development, motivational “carrots” all become more relevant. Conduct assessments on your staff, use the feedback to allow them to understand themselves and each other better. In the HR field there are many areas such as BBBEE, Employment Equity and Skills Development which are merely “tick box” exercises. It’s time to put the heart back into HR, to focus on your “flavours”. Make this your competitive advantage for 2021.

ABOVE: Kristy Keating, CEO and director of Blacksuits.

FOR MORE INFO Kristy Keating: 082 312 6114; www.blacksuits.co.za

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