It happens all the time. A manager sees an employee doing something he doesn't like. Or he sees him dropping the ball on something. Yet he just lets it go. After all, it's not that important, is it?

"It is that important," according to Beau Hamilton, president, I Hamilton Consulting, Inc., who regularly consults in such situations. "Because you are not holding him accountable for his actions, yet his performance affects the success of your business - and perhaps how hard you have to work as a result."

Yet Hamilton acknowledged that many managers are afraid to say something because the employee might leave. "In effect, they are being held hostage by their own employees. What I do is observe what's happening, talk it through with the manager and employee. Then I help the manager find his or her "managerial courage" to change the situation. We present it in the best way, to encourage employee longevity, yet the point is clear. Ultimately, employees respect you for that."

Consulting in situations like this is just one way Hamilton supports all types of businesses, from salvage yards to corporations like Microsoft and Starbucks. Yet it is not the only way. In fact, Hamilton may be better known as a featured speaker and seminar trainer. He works in this capacity at Locator on Location, an automotive recycling trade show periodically held by The Locator. The show includes vendors, speakers, and industry-related meetings and activities. It is held in different regions of the country at different times of the year to maximize participation by dismantlers.

For this upcoming meeting in Asheville, N.C., on June 16-19, 1999, Hamilton will be speaking on "killer" customer service, the kind that makes customers sit up and take notice. In separate sessions, he also will cover effective management and goal setting. These are the "hot topics" in any industry, according to Hamilton, and ones with which salvage yards should be aware. He plans to customize his presentations for the Locator on Location audience, much in the same way he personalizes his consulting.

At Locator on Location, Hamilton will do what he also performs about a hundred limes a year in his own consulting business all over North America. He will present information in a "lecture" format, although he acknowledged that even his teaching seminars are extremely interactive. That is his trademark style.

"My experience is that most people know what they are sup posed to do," said Hamilton. "It's just when it comes to a specific situation, they either don't do it, or are at a loss as to how to do it." He focuses on practical application in his talks, but realizes that improvement does not happen in the classroom. It takes a customized complete company audit and one-on-one discussions to hone in on barriers to business. As a consultant, lie uses such information to help owners and managers remove the elements that are keeping the business from being highly productive.

Hamilton started his consulting business in 1984, when he realized he had ideas to share. "I saw simple ways businesses could change to become more profitable," he acknowledged. And 15 years later, Hamilton knows how to spot things that may be barriers to good business. He knows how to provide outstanding service - the kind that gets the customer to say "wow," He is a self-acknowledged problem-solver, who comes to a business to observe, talk to your employees and managers, and assess the situation, including what works and what can stand to be improved.

"My background is in corporate America management," said Hamilton. "I have never owned a salvage yard or worked for an automotive manufacturer. But I have been a manager in a variety of businesses trucking, manufacturing, service, high-tech, low-tech. My experience is across the board. It is what has given me a perspective to deal with people at all levels of management, in all types of industries." Hamilton brings this perspective to both companies and the classroom.

Soon after he started Hamilton Consulting in 1984, Hamilton realized he was well received. He built his business steadily, adding a small staff that currently numbers three. Occasionally, Hamilton partners with other consultants to handle large jobs, but most of the time, he works independently.

"I enjoy going into a business and helping people identify hurdles," explained Hamilton. "It may be a teammate or an issue that is preventing them from being highly productive."

Hamilton works in a low-key style where he "holds a mirror" up to the employees and managers. After lengthy observation, he sits down with managers and employees and describes common problems in business, based on what he has seen on site. When the employee or manager says, "yeah, that happens here, too," Hamilton has a basis for discussion. "That is when I can go back to the boss and say, look, we've got to do something about this," said Hamilton. "It comes from having an open dialogue and creating a safe environment."

"It's much more effective than coming in and saying these are the 14 points that you need to do to be a successful manager - even if one of those points applies," he explained. "And it is very different from doing a training class, because people generally don't apply the theory in the class to a problem situation. This works because we are tackling a specific issue and using practical application of that theory."

Most of Hamilton's success stories have to do with the managers choosing to take charge. "When the light bulb goes on, it is extremely satisfying," he explained. "It happened last year. I was interviewing a CEO who complained that he was paying a general manager a significant salary but the GM wasn't doing much - mainly because the CEO wasn't holding him accountable. Instead, the CEO was doing the bulk of the work. 'I don't know why I'm paying him so much,' the CEO remarked to me, to which I answered, 'Yes, why are you?' So he looked at the situation and decided to hold him accountable. Sometimes it just takes an objective perspective to point out what managers already know in their gut. Then, there is the challenge of how to make the change."

"Every business has its problems under the surface," said Hamilton. "You just have to look for the warning signs. Productivity may start to fall. Morale and attitude may take a nose dive, as well-Customers may complain. Then, you know there is something going on. That's the point where you'll probably want to change. Get an objective opinion from an expert on where and how to do that."

Hamilton acknowledged that businesses can hire him even when nothing is overtly wrong, but it's unlikely. "Just as I don't go to the doctor when I feel well, neither do business people tend to seek advice when profits are up and the customer service index is high." Yet a constant reassessment of the business - even an informal one done by the owner - is invaluable, according to Hamilton. "Those are the businesses that shine - the ones that put real thought and effort into the issues behind the bottom line."

If you are interested in hearing Beau Hamilton speak, or learning more about his consulting practice, you can contact him during West Coast business hours at 800-965-1115 or e-mail him at hamconsult@msn.com. For Locator on Location registration information, call 800-831-0820.