1. Survival

   Survival reaches the pinnacle of the priority list.

   To keep the job you have, you and your team of workers (co-workers and subordinates) must effectively

   • survive the present time - safety and security

   • prepare for the future - by encouraging and carefully considering creative possibilities.

   This means that you must be prepared to effectively survive...

   1. Reality - preparing for and preventing accidents before they occur:

      1. Legal - predicting or preparing for any legislative changes that would have a substantial impact on your realm

      2. Financial - who or what departments would a budget cut affect first? second? and so on..

      3. Psychological & Physical:

         1. Immediate, Sudden Accidents

         2. Latent or Dormant Problems that won't manifest themselves until some later time in the future but are a direct consequence of some Present Accidental Exposure or Outcome

         3. Progressive Problems due to Repetitive Exposure or a Series of Bad Outcomes

         ¤ Only by

         • establishing and enforcing safety guidelines and appropriate rules of conduct,

         • regularly maintaining working equipment,

         • keeping a clean and organized working environment,

         • mandating use of appropriate safety equipment and/or clothing and

         • IMAGINING any possibility for accidents before they occur

             can we ever hope to prevent accidents from occurring in the workplace.

         ¤ IMPORTANT LINKS:

         • http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owasrch.full_site_search — OSHA — US Occupational Safety & Health Administration Information Search

         • http://grc.ntis.gov/nioshtic.htm — NIOSHTIC® Database — US government-sponsored bibliographic database of occupational safety and health literature

         • Online Safety Sites listed at this web site!

   2. Criminality - the unseen psychological dimension to reality

      Do you need to "beef up" or modernize your security systems?

      Are you prepared for the possibility of a small group of criminal buddy-buddies within your establishment?

      How about a large group of buddy-buddies?

      ¤ IMPORTANT LINKS:

      • https://www.ifccfbi.gov/sitemap.asp — IFCC — US Internet Fraud Complaint Center

      • http://www.fbi.gov/ — FBI — US Federal Bureau of Investigation

   3. Competition - from within as well as without

      What happens if you lose one of your present employees to a competitor?

      Preparing for the future involves

      1. Actively Seeking and Embracing Creative Possibilities!

      2. Maintaining an Open-Minded Attitude toward Suggestions (or complaints) for Improvement

      3. Maintaining an Efficient, CARING and Open Channel of Communication that encourages employee input

      4. Exhaustive Research and Analysis

2. Training or Testing

   Second to Survival is Training ... or Testing to Verify where Training is Unnecessary:

   1. Training safety in the workplace

   2. Training security for yourself, customers, associates and fellow employees

   3. Training the accepted channel(s) of communication for offering suggestions or complaints

   4. Training pertinent tasks

   And where there is any public contact, training should include preparation for the numerous possible predicaments (questions, problems, complaints, ... even suggestions and praise ... tips?) along with the associated acceptable responses - not just the courteous responses but those bearing weighty legal significance as well (the do's and don'ts for what to say).

3. Satisfaction or Service

   Third is Satisfaction or Service - Employee and Customer and Shareholder, in that order.

   1. Positive Employee Satisfaction is a clear reflection of all your advance preparation and ATTENTION and CARE toward

      • providing a clean and safe work environment,

      • promptly addressing employee concerns,

      • discretely preserving the anonymity of employee grievances ... open communication, where anything may be discussed confidently and anonymously (if needed),

      • providing fair benefits and rates of pay.

   2. Sound Customer Satisfaction involves

      • compassion in discourse;

      • professionalism in manner, style and speech;

      • advance preparation for all possible customer concerns and needs.

   3. Shareholders need Information, Information, Information.

   Satisfaction and Quality unite to become the two pillars of Public Perception, but that fits someplace else in the remainder of your own list of priorities!

All opinions expressed in this web site, unless otherwise noted, are my own, Michael Gaspard. If you notice any errors or have any suggestions for improvement, please let me know by e-mailing webmaster@mdpme.com. Thank you!

This web page was last updated on Monday, February 2, 2004.
http://www.mdpme.com/priority.htm

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