You don't do that by criticizing. Employees are barred from harping on colleagues' mistakes in a negative fashion. Instead, they're encouraged to help one another find ways to improve performance the next time around. They already know they've made one. Taylor, who meets monthly with his accountant to check out cash flow and budgets, recommends that young firms involve their accountant early on.
Technology helps, too.
When you are so close to something, it's very hard to see what the customer sees. In the highly competitive field of corporate technology services, staff must be able to instantly communicate with clients, suppliers and each other whenever the need arises. To maintain his company's edge, Fung equips each staffer with a cellphone, pager, notebook computer and personal digital assistant. We try to keep people in a stretch zone, not a comfort zone. Assigning staff to unfamiliar or tougher tasks not only advances and broadens their skills, says Millman, but gives them great personal rewards.