Staffing Acupuncture: Identifying Company Pressure Points

There are certain things in life that can't be ignored; certain things like hitting your “funny bone”.  When your elbow comes down too hard on that nerve center, it gets your attention.  You stop and take notice. There are certain "funny bone" areas of your business as well.  Critical areas of your business that become the nerve endings, and when something hits there, you notice.

There are many other areas on the human body that work more or less in the same way. You could be a complete couch potato and overpower a black belt in any martial art if you know how to exploit his pressure points . Regardless of who you are, you can cause extreme pain and even temporary paralysis by simply using your thumb or index finger.

Learning to manipulate pressure points in the body can cause extreme pain or bring much needed relief. Similar to these pressure points in the body, there are pressure points in business as well. Those "funny bone" areas of your business – they are key positions that are the nerve endings of the company. When something goes wrong in these areas , you notice. These critical positions in your business can hold the key to growth or failure.

Many businesses have their own unique pressure points, but some positions are critical to all employers and can have a major impact on success. The administrative person in an organization is one such position.  A good Administrative Professional keeps a company together and those around him working to their highest capacity.  You can revitalize and rejuvenate the entire team with a good Administrative Assistant keeping things organized and everyone on track.

The second pressure point for a business is Sales . Sales is the legs of a business; a good sales person gives a company the ability to move forward and grow. Good sales numbers relieve pressure and bring balance.

A third pressure point in a company is Customer Service . Customer Service individuals are at the heart of a business.  They are the ones that deal directly with the clients. Attention to this pressure point can offset weaknesses in other areas. You don’t want to have sales coming in one door and leaving out the other due to poor service that goes uncovered or unmanaged.

The final pressure point is Collections . No company can afford poor performance in this area.   Good collections will keep the business running. You can relieve nervousness and sleep better at night if the money is coming in.

Here are three tips to ensure your company will have the best capability at every critical pressure point:

1. Keep your options open to identify sources for the best talent available for these areas - employee referrals, executive recruiters, job boards and business networking should all be considered as places where good employees can be found.

2. Use temp to hire as a tool to determine if the employee you are considering in a critical area will take the pressure off of your company.

3. Include multiple employees in the hiring process for critical positions - their input will help you make the right decisions.

To keep your business running smoothly, pay attention to these pressure points. Maximum effort to hire high performers in these areas can even offset mediocre performance elsewhere in the company. To relieve some pressure in your organization, click here to place a job order.

Image Credit: Blue Ridge Budokan