Equip Part 1: The importance of Hard Equipment

Have you ever assembled a piece of furniture manually with just a screwdriver and wrench? That big bag of bolts and screws looks daunting when your hand starts cramping after working for only 10 minutes.

Or even more challenging, have you tried putting together a child’s swing set or baking a new dessert without a set of instructions or recipe?

A clear path to success – whether that is a happy kid swinging or a moist and delicious chocolate soufflé – is incumbent on using the right tool and following a clear blueprint.

Likewise, success in the business world requires that an organization’s workforce have the right equipment and a defined mission.

If you want to win in business, you must compete with the right equipment.

Get the right equipment

There are two types of equipment required for employees to ensure a successful business – hard and soft.

What is ‘hard’ equipment?

First, let’s’ define what ‘hard’ equipment is not. ‘Hard’ equipment is not the hard skills employers look for when considering a new hire or contemplating promoting a high achieving team member.

While hard skills like a specialized degree, certifications for various skills sets, or other knowledge-based skills are important, they are not at all what is intended by the concept of ‘hard’ equipment.

If your employees have adequate ‘hard’ equipment, they have the required tools to successfully complete their assigned work tasks.

Examples include drills, hammers, trucks, computers, steel-toed boots, wires, productivity software, WiFi, hard hat, safety glasses, etc. The commonality of all types of hard equipment is that they are physical and material kinds of equipment. They can be touched, utilized, and relied upon to complete the task. In essence, hard equipment is tangible.

Both a power drill and screwdriver are tactile and tangible; BUT, choosing the right one is important to the task and desired outcome. This is similar to determining and allocating the hard equipment needed by your organization and teams.

The most important question to equip your team correctly

What do you and your team members need to make your jobs easier and more efficient?

No matter if you are the CEO, a VP, a manager, or team lead, asking what your workforce needs from a hard equipment standpoint to make their job easier and more efficient is the FASTEST way to increase production outputs, exceed deadlines, and realize more revenue and profits.

You read that correctly. If one of your organization’s business objectives is to generate more revenue – and let’s be honest, every company has this goal – you will not achieve greater output without providing the means to your workforce to reach your goals. You may hope and expect to get there, but you won’t.

Great teams work because they have all the tools they need to perform at the highest level.

When was the last time you asked your team, your department, your division, your organization what they need to make their job easier? If the answer is “on last year’s annual employee survey,” you’ve got some work to do.

Stop reading this and go talk to your team. You already know exactly what to ask them.

Click here for the first part of the series Talk: Communication is your teams competitive advantage


#TEAMworks empowers every layer of leadership within your organization. Great teams work because they communicate well, are equipped to perform at the highest level, are repeatedly acknowledged for their efforts, and unashamedly measured to achieve peak performance.

#TEAMworks | Talk, Equip, Acknowledge, Measure

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