| No man is an island and nor is any business owner. | | | | use the opportunity to find out everything, the |
| Fresh ideas are the vital life blood of a successful | | | | narrower the field of questioning the more pertinent |
| venture and developing your business requires insider | | | | your results will be. |
| knowledge of how it works. You would be either an | | | | Internal Consultants. |
| egomaniac or a fool if you thought that all the best | | | | When we think of taking on a consultancy firm to |
| ideas came only from you. The input of your | | | | help our business, we are usually picturing external |
| employees and colleagues is one of your most | | | | professionals who will come into the business from |
| valuable assets and must be encouraged at every | | | | outside to explain what needs to be done. Forming a |
| opportunity. With this in mind, there are a couple of | | | | consultancy group from members of your own staff, |
| tried and tested ways to help persuade your | | | | taken from across the various departments, will not |
| workforce to contribute to the business think tank. | | | | only demonstrate how much you value your |
| The Employee Questionnaire. | | | | employees and so boost morale, but will give you |
| Even in the most user-friendly of working | | | | access to ideas from those who already understand |
| environments, where everyone loves each other, | | | | your business. Just as an external business |
| communication is encouraged and good relations | | | | consultancy would do, this team should analyse |
| fostered, it is hard to get the most candid of | | | | performance, investigate specific difficulties and |
| responses from people in front of their peers. Even | | | | proffer proposals at the end. An internal consultancy |
| positive things are often held back if an audience is | | | | team will have a better take on how to find the |
| involved; human beings simply do not like to feel | | | | answers needed and are more likely to propose |
| judged and so providing a nice, confidential way for | | | | solutions that will sit well with the rest of the work |
| staff to feed back can produce very valuable results; | | | | force. |
| putting a survey or questionnaire to your employees | | | | If your business is very small, the most effective |
| will allow you to ask questions and gain useful insight | | | | way to use any employees you have for new ideas |
| as well as offer them a way to express the things | | | | is simply to foster good, open communication. If |
| they need to get off of their chests; if you want | | | | there is a problem with the business that needs |
| brutal honesty try making it anonymous, you may be | | | | solving, talk about it, if you need opinions ask for |
| pleasantly surprised by the outcome. When thinking | | | | them, people are much more likely to put forward |
| about the types of question to include stay focused | | | | their views in an environment where they believe |
| on what you want to achieve; if you are looking for | | | | they will be listened to, so don't be dismissive when |
| new marketing ideas for instance, keep questions | | | | your people give you information; in a small business |
| specific to this area however temping it may be to | | | | respect goes an awfully long way. |