Where’s your business going?

Letting your organisation slip into inertia is easier than you think.

Allowing this situation to occur does not mean the leader(s) at the top are negligent. They’re probably so busy dealing with operational challenges that those aspects that require improvement are pushed to the back of their minds.

However, this is a vicious circle, with the problems being both the symptom and the result. If you are overwhelmed by the workload or ‘fires to fight,’ this is likely due to a weakness in your organisational processes. Let this continue and you will never be able to revise these systems, continually having too much to do to attend to them.

Don’t get stuck in this loop.

A limiting mindset – Is OK ever really OK?

Accepting the satisfactory is not enough.

It can become natural to associate ‘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 your company to develop productively and cultivate a healthy, ambitious culture in your workplace. Accepting OK encourages your employees, suppliers and partners to drop standards, consequently inviting inertia.

‘Kaizen’ is a Japanese word meaning continual improvement. In my coaching work, I encourage my clients to adopt this mindset when assessing their business performance. Constantly pushing forward and setting your thoughts on the next target is not always practical or fulfilling, but keeping an analytical eye on things is necessary if you want to ensure your organisation is future fit.

If it’s only OK, consider what could be better…

A missing element – Quick responses

We are living in a data heavy world. To some this seems a daunting and impenetrable mass of spreadsheets and dashboards. To others this is an exciting opportunity to track cause and effect, to ensure the greatest possible chance of success.

It’s no good sitting at your quarterly board meeting and discussing your profits or losses if you don’t understand what the contributory factors were. Analysis should be present and continual, not retrospective. Focusing on lag metrics (the outcomes) should be balanced by assessing the lead metrics (the indicators) that provide a real-time explanation for them.

Make your decision making as agile as possible by staying up-to-date on the relevant information. This will mean your business can respond to current trends and external influences if required.

A different perspective – What do you know?  

Some leaders will see expenses on organisational development as a cost, rather than an investment.

If you are looking to improve your processes, it will take an input of time, energy, or financial resource to realise. In tougher times, it can be understandingly tempting to sit on what you have; however, adopting this strategy can see inertia emerge, so finding the right balance for your company should be a key consideration. Remember, staying still for too long can often have unforeseen and undesirable effects.

Maintaining an analytical mindset relies on:

1. Known knowns – Assessing what your company is confident with. Those aspects that you know inside-out and do well.

2. Known unknowns – The areas your business in which you’re less assured, but you know this to be the case. You will have identified these as potential targets and avenues of future improvement.

3. Unknown unknowns – Things your organisation does not do, which you have never considered. Research or external guidance is required to identify these aspects.

Understanding what you know, what you don’t and what you should be working towards should be an ongoing dialogue you have with your fellow leaders. Sticking with what you have shouldn’t be a long-term strategy, because companies that don’t seem to be going anywhere are not appealing for any stakeholders.

 Be positive. Keep looking forward. Being better is always attainable.