One of the ways to do this is to create an atmosphere where job descriptions are flexible, and can be adapted to take advantage of the skills within your staff. Many of us have grown up with job descriptions that are rigid and specific. The list of job tasks and expectations is generally narrow and business owners didn’t stray too far from them. The old-school way of thinking is that keeping employees focused on a specific track will make them more efficient. We are learning now that the opposite is true.

With baby boomers being on the back end of the employee lifecycle, and Gen Y, X and Millenials entering the workforce, we need to look at jobs differently. The generations behind boomers are more interested in variety and job satisfaction. They want to use all their skills – not just a narrow representation of them. And as a small business owner, it is to your advantage to use the skills available to you within your workforce.

Of course you need to start somewhere – and creating a job description for a specific position should be your starting point. But when you hire, listen for those hidden skills. Can you build them into the job? Talk to your current employees and find out what else they have done and where they might be able to use their skills help you grow your business. As a small business owner, you must wear many hats – be good at many things. Think of your staff the same way. Allow them to wear more than one hat and you may be surprised at how much colour and depth they add to your business.

So Susan’s main task is keeping the books, and she’s good at it, but those analytical and organizational skills also transfer into other areas. She never misses a typo and is a grammar aficionado, so why not have her be responsible for proofreading all your marketing materials, proposals, and sales letters? And while you’re at it, after you learn how much she loves to entertain, why not give her the opportunity to plan your next staff party or put her in charge of customer appreciation events?

Sometimes a flexible job description requires the opposite – paring down a job that has grown too large. I recently had to do this with one of my staff when I realized she had taken on too many tasks outside her primary job. She was constantly volunteering to help out co-workers in other areas; areas that she was in fact very good at. But in the end it fractured her too much and her main job tasks began to suffer. So we sat down and reviewed her job description, removing some of the things she had taken on and refocusing her on the tasks required. She was relieved to be able to let those things go without disappointing anyone and I assigned them to a newer employee who was eager to show her skills in those areas.

Creating flexible job descriptions doesn’t mean everyone does whatever they want. The business tasks still need to be done and will be the core of each employee’s job description, but being open to allowing them to use their skills to excel in more than one area will benefit your business, and give them a work experience that creates higher level of job satisfaction and company loyalty.

Reviewing job descriptions should occur at minimum, annually, and preferably every six months. As you watch your business grow and see demands for new skills; as you get to know your staff better and hire new employees, keep in mind the areas where you can shift, add, remove, duplicate, delegate, share, and create job tasks in existing job descriptions, and start a wish list for the next new position for which you’ll need to hire. A flexible workplace ranks among the top indicators for job satisfaction among incoming Gen X, Y and Millenials. How fantastic it is that a flexible workplace is good for your business too!

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Divine Discontent

That inner nagging has been referred to as “divine discontent”. You may feel uneasy or restless for reasons you can’t quite put your finger on. You aren’t happy or satisfied with the way things are going but you don’t know why. You feel the need for a change but may not know where or how. Your stress level increases even though your circumstances remain the same. You find yourself daydreaming, and not sleeping well. You may be irritated by small things that don’t really matter, and not care about the things that do. If you are experiencing some of these things, you may be in the process of divine discontent.

Master motivator, Brian Tracey, said “Unhappiness is to your life as pain is to your body. It is sent as a messenger to tell you that what you’re doing is wrong for you.” He goes on to say that divine discontent is actually a very good thing, because it always precedes a positive life change. Satisfaction rarely leads to change, but discontent most often does. If you are feeling restless, discontent, or uneasy, don’t ignore it. Ask yourself if there are areas in your life and in your business that need to change. If you take the time to really reflect on what you’re feeling, the answers will come to you, and you’ll know what path you’re being prodded to take.

Personal Purpose

Many times divine discontent comes as a result of not being true to your personal purpose. If the direction you are going with your business conflicts with your values, principles, or simply the purposes you have set out for your life, you will feel discontent. You will feel that same discontent if you have strayed too far from a purpose you identified at some point in your life or in your business. The incongruence eventually turns into stress and affects you physically and emotionally. If you’ve never really determined your personal purpose, you may be feeling restless because of it. We all need to have a sense of purpose for the things we do in life. If you’ve never taken the time to define what your purpose in life is, make it a point to do so in the next two months. Personal purpose not only helps you to line up all the aspects of your life, but it also propels you more quickly towards your goals.

Uncommon Commitment

Sometimes discontent shows itself in a lack of commitment. It may be commitment to your customers, your staff, or your product or service. If you’re experiencing apathy about your daily routine, ask yourself if you’re committed to the right things. It’s hard to be committed to something you don’t really believe in, even if you once did! Commitment to what you’re doing is a sure sign that you’re on the right track. If your commitment is waning, it may be a warning sign.

Activating Action

If you think you’ve been experiencing divine discontent, here are some steps you might take to help you determine which direction to take:

1. Set aside a specific time when you will think about these things. It must be away from the office, your family, and your regular activities. Ideally, it should be away from other people. If you enjoy keeping a journal, use it as a way to explore what's going on. If not, simply jot down some of the areas where you feel discontent, and ask yourself if there is a need for change that corresponds to those areas.
2. If you’ve never written a personal mission statement, consider taking the time to do so. Spend some time looking at what’s really important to you, what you value, what you want to accomplish in life, what you hope others will say about you when you’re gone, and then work backwards to develop a personal purpose wherein everything you do – at work or at home – lines up with that purpose. It’s similar to the way you measure everything in your business against your strategic plan to let you know whether you’re on track.
3. Look at your commitment. Are there things you’re struggling to stay committed to? Ask yourself why. Are they no longer important to you? Are they not right for you at this moment in time? Are there changes that need to be made in order for your commitment level to rise a few notches?

Your inner compass will rarely lead you astray. The question is, are you willing to tune in to what it’s saying and make the changes it’s suggesting? Ignoring its prompting will leave you frustrated, irritable, and discontent. Paying attention will ensure you remain on the right path for you, and your business.

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1. How much will it cost?For many small businesses, cost is the primary consideration in any lead generation activity. And indeed, it is an important factor. But cost must be considered as only one factor. It’s important to ensure your cash flow can handle the investment, but there is more to consider.
2. How much time will it take? For most small business owners, time truly does equal money. Even among the various free lead strategies, the time commitments can vary and should be considered when comparing strategies. Does the strategy require your time, or can you delegate the task to someone else? Is the time it takes to create and deliver the strategy worth the time it takes you away from other aspects of your business?
3. How many do you need? Sielski asks, “Do you need 100 leads a day or 100 leads a month? The answer to this question will impact your choice of lead generation strategy.” Every business is different. An exercise in crunching down the numbers to determine the amount of sales you need per month, and the number of leads required to make those sales is valuable, and worth the time. The more targeted you can be about the quantity of leads you require, the more effective your efforts will be. You may find you are seriously under (or over) working your leads strategy.
4. How quickly do you need results? Some strategies can generate results almost instantly. Others take time to generate a consistent lead generation flow. You not only have to consider how many leads you need but also how quickly you need them.
5. Are you looking in the right places? A new study published in McKinsey Quarterly (the online business journal of McKinsey and Company; www.mckinseyquarterly.com) reports that two-thirds of the touch points in a buyer’s evaluations process are now consumer-driven; things such as user-generated reviews, word of mouth, and in-store interactions. Only one-third of the touch points are still company-driven. This is a significant shift in buyer-mentality, and your lead generation strategies should take this into account. According to the newest consumer metrics, people will buy from you more often because they’ve heard about you from someone else, than they will from hearing the message from you. So, how can you tap into the consumer-driven touch points to deliver the message about your business?
6. Can you "double dip" on your efforts? Think about whether you can leverage the work you do in lead generation in various ways. For example, if you write an industry-related article in your local newspaper, can you also use some of that same information in an online blog, or to develop a new print piece? Or can you link your Facebook members or Twitter followers to the article? Finding creative ways to use what you’ve already done in one lead generation arena and applying them to another is efficient, effective, and saves time and money.
7. Can you keep track of the results? According to Sielski, “In order to evaluate your lead generation methods, it is essential to track how leads are generated and any associated costs.” When considering a lead generation strategy, ask yourself if the results can be measured. If the success and costs cannot be tracked, how will you know whether they are being effective?

The science and philosophy behind lead generation is changing rapidly, so before you launch out with an old-fashioned approach, consider these factors and put your time, money and energy into a strategy that will bring you the best results that will be most valuable for your business.

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