Dorothy, the division director, was ready to fire the entire 3-person administrative team.
Managing internal operations was taking too much time away from the service delivery and division growth work she needed to focus on.
The admins didn’t get what she needed, they had too many questions, were difficult to work with, and weren’t delivering the results she expected.
She needed a second-in-command who could:
Quickly pick up on what was needed and run with it.
Communicate it to the team effectively.
Provide the support needed to get results.
Look for ways to continuously take things to the next level.
The catch was, we were nearing the end of our contract and needed outstanding evaluation scores to make sure the contract was renewed.
Here’s how I did it:
Met with the admins to get their take on what was working well and what wasn’t so we could adjust.
Looked at how work was being distributed & identified ways to improve the process.
Got their input to strengthen the systems and processes I was putting in place.
Made improvements based on lessons learned.
Identified ways to add value based on available resources.
The result, a smooth running admin team that:
Was engaged and easier to work with.
Had a system and followed consistent processes.
Delivered results.
Played a key role in earning perfect evaluation scores & the contract renewal.
Why does this matter to YOU?
The existing staff delivered these results. Employees who were challenging, poor performers became engaged team members that cared about the quality of the work they were doing.
Funny thing is…
Dorothy was determined not to hire someone young.
But she did – and we were perfect complements for each other.
We even moved to a new company together and achieved amazing results there.
Little did we know back then what the next 20 years would bring!
(She hired me in 1992, I moved on in 2012, this picture is from her retirement party in 2013.)
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