Is OK ever really OK?
It is vital for the further growth and development of your business that you do not let ‘OK syndrome’ take hold. This is where aspects of your organisation might be deemed acceptable, without any intention to improve them.
Ask the right questions
If this mindset is present within your company, it is easy to identify; all you need to do is ask your stakeholders how they see things.
Clients/customers – How was the service you received from us today?
Employees – How are you getting on with those key deliverables we spoke about last week?
Partners/suppliers – How are we progressing with that new project?
The trap is that we lump ‘OK’ alongside ‘good’ and ‘great’ as a positive response, where in fact we should be bracketing it with ‘not good’ and ‘poor.’ OK is not OK if you want to build something of note, something that resonates. By accepting OK we are encouraging everyone to drop standards, consequently inviting company inertia.
The dangers of inertia
Inertia is a silent slayer of ambitions as it protects the status quo and outdated ways of operating. It is the mantra and default response of organisations devoid of ideas, curiosity and ‘what if?’ mentality. It might be necessary to slay ‘sacred cows’ (traditional ways of functioning) that once seemed integral, but are now outdated and aren’t future fit.
The old adage, ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ is exactly the kind of attitude I am condemning. It may seem preferable to employ people who are willing to continue as normal and not ‘rock the boat,’ but this mindset is detrimental and may well lead to you losing your competitive advantage. Consequently, acquisition and retention rates will dwindle as the innovative spirit that once drove the business is lost.
Leaders need to be vigilant and willing to act when the first signs of OK syndrome are spotted. Without early action being taken, it can take root very quickly and become a central element of company culture. Leaders need to be clear that momentum, transformation and challenging the status quo are their preferred options, and articulate this at every opportunity.
Is it future fit?
Carry out regular audits across your organisation, with the dual perspective of judging current suitability and readiness for the future. It should be instilled within your values to look forward, towards the next offering, or the next campaign that will be relevant to emerging trends. Challenge your current ways of working, celebrate new initiatives and lead from the front, by demonstrating that you want to explore new opportunities and methods for achieving better results.
My recommendation is that you take time to consider whether this condition is currently present in your business, and if it is, decide what actions you can take to eradicate it. This could be represented by stimulating your R&D budget.
It’s really tough to lead a business suffering from inertia, but a joy to lead one underpinned by momentum… the choice is yours.
If you would like to discuss any of the topics covered in this article, please book a FREE, no-commitment discovery call with me.