Are you a visual thinker, too?  

I need real pictures to get my business gears turning. That’s why you could call HireSmart a “kitchen table company.” My husband and business partner, Mark, and I eat all our meals at the kitchen table, but that’s also the setting for our strategy sessions. As we talk, I post tear-away posters to the walls around us and use colored markers to map out our goals, strategies, and processes.  

The overarching objective is always the same: How does this serve the customer? If we stray from that, the big picture is like a foggy day instead of a clear, crisp, sunny day on which you can see the beautiful horizon. 

Future Proofing Your Business! 

We schedule these sessions because we need wide-angle time before pulling out the “zoom lens” and focusing on the details. It’s worthwhile to budget such sessions into your schedule and make sure your whole team does the same. 

Here are some tips to get the most out of planning:   

1. Schedule ‘Think Time’ Like Any Other Important Meeting: Treat your planning sessions with the same respect as meeting with your biggest client. It could be a couple of hours each week or a full day each month. The key is to make it regular and non-negotiable. During this time, turn off notifications, find a quiet space, and allow your mind to wander beyond day-to-day concerns.

2. Create a ‘Big Picture’ Agenda: We always start with our big-picture questions. What problems are our customers facing? How does this make them feel? What do they need to overcome those problems and reach a better emotional state? What steps can we take to create the most efficient system to solve these issues for the customer? Such questions become headers on our poster sheets. A structure can guide your thoughts while leaving room for creative exploration.

3. Use Visual Thinking Tools: There’s something powerful about seeing your thoughts spread out across a wall. As a visual thinker, I find that getting our ideas out of our heads and onto these large sheets helps us see connections and possibilities we might have missed. Find what works for you — whether it’s my method of poster sheets or a digital tool that allows for visual brainstorming.

4. Involve Your Team in Big-Picture Thinking: We often discuss how to bring these sessions to our team. Encourage your employees to set aside their own “think time.” This could be as simple as a 30-minute block each week where they’re free to brainstorm ideas for improving the business. Create a system for them to share these ideas, whether it’s through a suggestion box or regular innovation meetings.

5. Connect Personal Goals with Business Objectives: One of the most powerful moments in our sessions is discussing how our business goals align with our aspirations. We encourage our team to do the same — to think holistically about their role in the business and how it aligns with their individual goals and values. The questions we apply to customers are also questions we ask of our team. What do they need to get the most from their job and experience with us? What brings them the most satisfaction, and how can we build on that? This leads to more engaged employees and can spark innovative ideas that benefit both the individual and the company.

One innovative idea is to hire globally. What if you weren’t tied to local labor market rates? Could you grow your business if you could hire more people for less cost?  

Looking To Increase Your Bottom Line? 

Well, yes, you can. We’ve seen it over and over, and it’s a thrill! We have hundreds of clients who have partnered and enjoyed the power of the dollar working for them, not against them, by accessing a labor market with a lower cost of living than here. I’ve spent a decade making this happen for U.S. businesses, and I’m the best in the business at finding quality employees from the Philippines for our clients at a very low cost.    

“Jennifer is a valuable asset to our team,” said one HireSmart client about their VE. “She handles all of our maintenance work orders and does a fantastic job following up on them and communicating with the tenants, vendors, and owners.  I don’t know what we would do without her!” 

The Cost Benefits of Hiring VEs are Undeniable    

Picture this: your business is growing because you innovated and embraced global hiring. Your competitors failed to do so. This is part of a bigger picture at play in the economy today. We want our clients to use this tool to win, as others fail to grasp the possibilities. 

If you’re interested in leveraging the power of the global labor market to your advantage, we’d love to chat. Click here to schedule a time that works for you.