Strategic Discipline Blog

If you’re a small to mid-sized business owner you probably have a number of aspirations for your business.  To build it so you can spend your time doing what you love most while the business runs consistently and predictably without you.  Or it may be to watch it grow to achieve success humming along like a well-oiled machine.  The dream of many small business owners was outlined in Michael Gerber’s book The E-Myth Revisited, Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What To Do About It. Ultimately you want to be in a position to invest most of your time working ON the business rather than IN it.

Remember the story of Rip Van Winkle?  You probably remember he slept for 20 years, but little else.

Recently I rediscovered the value of routine when I purchased a new computer.  If you’ve had the occasion to move to a new computer recently perhaps you will recognize the disruptive forces that occur when suddenly you are without the use of your computer for several hours or in my case more than a day as your old data is restored to your new computer. 

In your business do you place the highest priority on measuring performance and productivity?  Sales revenue, units sold, profit margin, efficiency standards.  Are these gold standard in your business?

Are you ready to get 2012 off to a roaring start?  Would you like to get your team more inspired this year?  Mike Schulte, Fleck Sales, earlier this year shared a video on what inspires your team.  People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it.  It’s the soft spot in your business that is frequently ignored or not valued as critically as is required.  This subjective aspect of your business is included as Core Values, Core Purpose on your One Page Strategic Plan.  They are often overlooked.  Jim Collins in Built to Last, and Good to Great provided supportive proof that these elements are critical to business success.  This video Simon Sinek: How great leaders inspire action offers insight into why you need the “WHY” in your business.

Twelve tired, sweat covered young men shuffle through the hall toward a classroom.  Each chooses a desk to sit in, plops themselves down for an unexpected respite from a grueling first week of basketball practice.  The group looks around, engages in small talk, with one team member shouting out, “Wick, do you know what this is about?”  I shrug my shoulders.  It’s a first time experience for me as well as the rest of the team.  Shortly thereafter, the new head coach enters his biology classroom where the boys have taken up temporary residence.  Coach Belke strikes a commanding appearance.  He’s about 6’2” with a barrel chest, large thick forearms, and looks every bit like the man who supposedly had a try-out with the Chicago Bears.  Immediately the room falls silent, such is the presence he dictates.  While Coach Belke has coached football and basketball before at Princeton High School, it’s been nearly a decade since he’s done either. He volunteered to take on the task of coaching basketball this year when our coach of the past three years unexpectedly left for a better teaching position. After years of dismal sports performances, this team is expected to do well.  Our sophomore year our team won the first game a Princeton basketball team had won after 37 consecutive losses.   The following year (our junior season) our team finished 13-6, 3^rd place in the conference.  Expectations are high.

Did you realize when a customer says thanks, they make you happy, but they make themselves even happier.  In her book The How of Happiness, Sonja Lyubomirsky, a professor at the University of California, Riverside, describes a dozen scientifically proven strategies to make yourself happier.  The first?  Expressing gratitude.

At this time of year it’s very common to find people exhibiting high stress levels.  A trip for groceries, or to the hardware store, takes a bit longer due to long lines and depending on where you live the weather.

If you want to improve something what should you do?  First make it a priority, then begin measuring it.  One of my clients and I share a goal to improve our lead generation activities.  We‘ve been talking about improving performance for months and recently decided in order to improve our behavior we need to make this intention a priority.  Establishing the priority came first.  Then we had to decide to measure it and finally put accountability in place. 

You've heard the story of the boss who has two rules:  Rule #1 The Boss is Always Right.  Rule #2 When the boss is wrong, refer to Rule #1. 

In many companies this time of year for annual planning revolves around one person making plans, usually the president or owner(s).  The reason this occurs is often multiple.  First the business owner started the business and in order for the business to grow it’s always been dependent upon him/her to make the plans.  Another reason is that getting input from others takes time, precious time that many owners and company presidents don’t have or don’t care to take.  Habits are hard to break.  Setting directives and being in a commanding if not dominate position has worked in the past.  It’s decisive, impactful, quick, and if it’s gotten results in the past there’s no reason to change.

As your business grows however the problem with this one person or small group making all the decisions on direction, objectives, and priorities is its limited ability to take into account all the obstacles and challenges that your priorities might face.