Companies love formal strategies with graphs and a large array of information, data and where the company is heading. These look fancy and hours of hard work has been put in. While this all is happening, some individual with no strategy or plan starts a firm. In about 7 years, it grows by almost 20 fold with a reputation and strength.
While some companies fail despite all the sophistication of having a strategy, others with no strategy thrive. I have no intention to indicate that corporate strategy does not work or you should not have the right strategy in place. On the contrary, what I am trying to reflect is that having a sound strategy and using what the individual with no strategy achieved, would make profound shifts in performance.
Well, by now you must have figured out that this individual was me and I turned my company into a successful audit and consultancy practice a few years ago. With no advertisement and no internet presence, simple word of mouth and listening to people’s concerns were key attributes to the growth of my practice.
This is a series of blog posts where I address some of my experiences and what worked for me.
On this post, I list 5 key elements which were my turning points:
1) Giving my time and being fully engaged:
It is obvious but an extremely valuable piece to any business success. The time given to potential clients and customers is crucial. Listening and ascertaining what they want prove to be instrumental to my growth. In fact I used to immerse into discussions at the initiation stages to an extent that I fully grasp what the problems are. I have noticed that many organisations executives ‘attempt’ to listen to their key stakeholders especially customers. But that is not enough. Going an extra mile brings life to your strategy. Being fully engaged takes patience, but the benefits outweigh any time utility. Executives exhibit in reports and voice out that they listen to customers concerns. Some come out and apologise to the public for any misconduct (in programs such as watchdog). I doubt if the root cause is ever discovered or even if it is, it may take a huge load of time and effort trying to fix it. You see many of such executives are simply following a trend without meaning and real substance.
2) Understanding the business core:
When I started offering professional services, I ensured that all relevant procedural steps were identified and formulated . These were not from text book theory, but grasping external and internal process impact points. Every organisation must be clear about what forms the value pipeline and how does this connect to the overall strategy. Whether you have a multimillion operation or a small operation, you must ensure that all linkages are in place. Sadly, many companies fail to perform to its fullest due to lack of coordinated processes.
3) The right staff:
My first mistake was to hire a staff who gave me a fantastic picture of what he has achieved and how he can add value to the services we offered. A very good communicator who knew how to easily influence an employer. He had qualifications and looked poised and a hard worker. He did well for some time, but errors and differences started creeping in. His interpretation of assurance and mine were different. The result was that I had to get rid of him. From all my staff, I had one staff who was rejected by one of the big four. He proved to be the best asset I ever had and made a profound difference . I deeply appreciate the big four company for not offering him a position with their firm. In fact, he is now running the practice and is doing a fantastic job.
I personally don’t prefer some of the recruiting agents who have a straight approach. They have a set criteria and miss out on seeing the true talent. In order to succeed, you need to find out six key traits (These may vary from company to company): The energy level now and a year ago.. (and I have managed to pick this up from CV’s); the hunger to grow and learn (again checking from background),having confidence, communication and coordination linkage (organised and prioritization), well focused and consistent in progressing, very few job changes and
4) The right focus using discipline.
Sharpening your time and attention on the right and relevant matters will deliver value. It is no longer simply customer satisfaction but fulfilment. This can only be achieved by being accountable to what is right. Discipline brings a well structured organised system to add value. During my time, my focus was simply to be an expert in what I do and deliver it with quality and efficiency. Commercial gains were secondary as I knew these would fall in place through building a company which offers world class service. Focusing on customer service, focusing on adding value to clients and focusing on building on quality and standards which are the best in the industry is best practice. It starts with all individuals and builds self confidence and momentum to drive a dynamic operation.
5) True purpose and meaning:
If you have a purpose that is good but if you have a passion and a meaningful purpose, that would drive your company to a different level. In fact that is true leadership. Organisations fail because the movement or purpose is not felt strong in many organisations. It has lost its meaning totally in many organisations and focus is on performance rather than following your true purpose. When I see companies like Olympus in trouble or yahoo going through a difficult phase due to Executive Management changes, I find that the true purpose and meaning is missing from the boards of such companies. In fact Accountability and values are no longer considered foundations and performance pressures and short term thinking has taken precedence. These are companies which will keep eroding their capital in some form or other. Purpose further allows you to build your level of competence through the right training and understanding.
The above are simply some of the issues which can make a positive impact to your organisation. Through a disciplined approach, bring engaged, having a true purpose, understanding your business model completely and having the right empowered staff will have potential benefits to your overall value pipeline.
Vijay Mistri