12 Ways To Create -- And Keep -- The Workforce You Want

4. Sanctuary
I work with VARs who require their services people to have billable utilization rates ranging from 60 percent to 100 percent. More than one VAR has described their services folks as heads-down all day long. Never taking breaks is stressful, decreases focus and lowers people's ability to handle stress.

In contrast, one study by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwarz (authors of the book, "The Power of Full Engagement") showed that workers who take breaks every two to four hours to clear their minds, have a healthy snack and/or exercise, actually return to work more focused and can handle more stress.

One person who practices this is Joel Klein, Chancellor of New York City public schools. Klein blocks out chunks of time where he can freely read and think through his next moves and strategies without distractions. He also considers problems by walking, sometimes three to four miles with his wife, to thoroughly explore solutions.

SOLUTION: Take a break in the morning and afternoon to go for a walk, visit a bookstore, do some stretching or other activity that removes you from your primary work environment to mentally, emotionally and physically focus on something else.

5. Success Plans
Consistently, when I survey top VAR executives, they say one of the leading problems is the ability of their people to achieve key objectives each day. We're told technology will save us time. This isn't a universal truth. More often than not, technology encourages us to take on more work than we should.

Success plans are a to-do list. Consider doing them weekly. Plan your week on a Friday or over the weekend. Each day has several "do it now" objectives that have key, measurable results. You absolutely have to do them each day unless you make a conscious decision to replace them with something that's more important.

SOLUTION: Try a weekly success plan. If you can accomplish just one "do it now" objective each day, you will finish the week knowing you achieved significant progress toward your annual goals.

6. Pass the Baton on Job Responsibilities
A VAR gets sued in an employee dispute. The court asks for a copy of the company's policy manual and job description to confirm the employee's contested responsibilities and performance standards. Without a job description to lay the foundation for how performance is measured, your company is unnecessarily vulnerable to employee lawsuits, which can become a huge loss of time and money.

Too many VARs have job titles, but no documentation of a formal job description. The belief is that everyone knows what to do. This is a big mistake. Job descriptions transfer job responsibilities to employees and lay the foundation for how employee performance is measured. Job descriptions also help employees understand their career path in your company so you can retain them longer.

SOLUTION: Write clear, detailed job descriptions.

7. Right Person, Right Job
If I had $20 for every time a VAR told me they thought someone was a good hire but that they didn't work out, I could fund an IRA. Too often, VARs hire by gut feeling and emotion, rather than balancing their insights with facts.

People are not your greatest asset unless you have the right people in the right jobs. When you take a systematic approach to hiring, you increase your ability to hire great people rather than hiring convincing interviewers. The first three steps are how to Establish Your Foundation for hiring; the next four steps explain how to Qualify the Candidate; and the last three steps lay out Onboarding, which is how you bring new employees into your company and get them started.

SOLUTION: Define your hiring system and follow it consistently. Keep the process moving so you can sign the best candidates. Follow through on your commitments after the hire to increase employee retention rates.

NEXT: What your compensation plan says about your company.