How To Get Your Team to Buy Into SOPs
Once my team started using SOPs, we got so into them we went from having none to 250 in just four months. Now we have over 750.
How? We created a system that incentives them, and it’s revolutionized our business.
Gamify SOP adoption – Score Points
We developed a Brainlink mantra of SOPs, and it’s very simple.
You’re either using an SOP, or you’re modifying an existing SOP because something changed or you’re creating a brand new SOP or you’re fired.
Initially it was a tongue-in-cheek joke, but I have to say in 2014 I hired 6 people and I’ve fired 5 of them, two because they were just the wrong fit, and three for failing to live up to that principle.
There are some people who are good at solving problems. They’re really good techs; I can’t take that away from them. They did good work, but they were not willing to document it in an SOP. They’re not willing to share what they have learned, and they’re not willing to learn from others.
The SOP process has now become an anchor point for our business. Now we have a formula at BrainLink. Solving the problem correctly gets you 20 points. Writing the SOP gets you 30 points. The client telling me that they’re happy the problem is resolved is 20 points, so that’s 70 points.
The final 30 points are when your teammates reuse your SOP and give you kudos on it.
This isn’t a game; it’s a teaching tool. If someone doesn’t write the SOP, that’s a 40% grade, which is failing. I ask them if they’d accept 40% from their teammates.
Or if someone hasn’t gotten their SOP reviewed by a teammate, I urge them to set aside time to get it reviewed ASAP because 70% work isn’t good enough.
Start in the Interview Process
To ensure a culture of those who are willing to systematize their work, start in the interview process. I put up a 20-minute video on how to write SOPs with our SOP format.
When I’m interviewing a candidate, the resume looks good, they have passed our testing, they’ve got the right scores, we do a Skype interview, and they look good.
Okay, before I meet with you, here’s a link to my SOP video. Watch it; here’s a template. Write me an SOP on how you configured your smartphone for your email. There are thousands of cell phones out there. Every phone is different, and each one works differently – HP versus Verizon, versus Motorola, versus iPhone.
I’m looking for how well do you document, how well do you write, and did you understand the problem? People who don’t submit are automatically disqualified, and we tell them that. If I don’t get this, we will not get to the next step.
Email me at raj@brainlink.com if you would like to learn more about SOPs and how they can increase your productivity.
Watch This: https://youtu.be/HD-8eB20M6c