Most of us know the brilliant warmth and convenience that Jiffy’s bring to lighting a fire. For those who don’t, and I can’t believe there’s a great deal of you out there, here’s a brief explanation. Jiffy’s are a packet of combustible white cubes that act as an instant and consistent fire source to ignite long term fuel. In most cases this is coal or timber. Placed strategically Jiffy’s ignite the fuel for a prolonged period of time; enough for the timber to stay lit and
sustain its own flame.
Passionate people are a lot like Jiffy’s. How? They stay lit long enough to ignite their message in people around them.
When looking at your business it’s important to know who your Jiffy’s are and how you’ve strategically placed them in the business.
Jiffy’s are hired to ignite a specific message. They’re super passionate people whose knowledge and aptitude borders on infectious. They’re at the coalface speaking directly to your customers. It is for this reason that you must constantly monitor your Jiffy’s to make sure they’re burning with optimum efficiency, always remembering that before others can believe, they first must believe.
Three examples of Jiffy’s positions are wholesale territory managers and sales reps, store managers/owners and staff, and retail operation managers.
It’s also important to note that Jiffy’s themselves can’t do all the work in getting your message direct to market. Drawing back to the fire analogy, there must first be a spark – a place of absolute certainty from which Jiffy’s can relate and agree that the message is part of their nature – to sell the message.
It is the same as passionate organisations that flow from the top down. The leader in most cases is a Jiffy and has sparked the following of a loyal few.
Passionate organisations like Apple confirm their message in exactly the same way – Jiffy’s working together. The message ultimately becomes louder and burns hotter.
When analysing your team there are four key areas to make sure your Jiffy’s are on board and working to an energy efficient standard:
Jiffy recognition: Recognise the importance of your Jiffy network and thank them for being Jiffy’s. (This is separate to remuneration)
New Jiffy: When looking for new Jiffy’s remember your current team could be a great source of knowledge and inspiration in finding the right people. Jiffy’s recognise other Jiffy’s.
Jiffy burnout: Recognise if your Jiffy is nearing the end if its burn cycle. Is it time to go or does it still have unknown sources of combustible fuel within it?
Jiffy placement: No matter if you’re a fortune 500 or a small footwear retail business, make certain your Jiffy’s are strategically placed to create and promote a stronger, wider message.
Recognising the importance of your Jiffy network and have a regular maintenance plan ensures the fire burns at its optimum level. Long live Jiffy’s.
Barry Nicolaou is principal of Barlan Consulting. He can be contacted here or www.barlanconsulting.com.au.
