Business Results - Four Critical Success Factors
Scenario One
During a recent presentation, a business owner was given the following challenge. If 10 of his 100 employees were asked to name the top 3 organizational goals for the current year as they perceived them to be, would he receive the same 3 goals from everyone or would he receive 5, 10 or even 25 different goals? The business owner shook his head and thoughtfully responded, "No, I am sure that I would receive more than 3 goals." He was then asked to consider what these misdirected actions from his employees were costing him in terms of missed opportunities.
Scenario Two
At another presentation, a business owner was asked if she set goals? She responded quite enthusiastically, "Of course, I set goals." She was asked a follow-up question: "Can you state with 100% conviction that your employees know how to consistently achieve both their personal and professional goals?" After a few moments, she replied "No." She was then asked how this lack of knowledge potentially affected her bottom line?
Scenario Three
A president of a company was asked: "Have you ever seen behavior inconsistent with your strategic plan?" He quickly answered "Yes!" A second question was asked, "What did you do about it?" "Well, we sent them to training and within 6 months we had to send them back again?" A new question was then posed to the President. "Are these performance failures a result of a lack of knowledge or skills or due to poor attitudes and habits?" The president immediately said "Why bad attitudes and poor habits." Again, the facilitator asked another question: "What are all these re-do's costing your company?"
Scenario Four
During the annual meeting, the CEO of a manufacturing company informed her executive team that she wanted to achieve a 10% growth during the next 12 months. The VP of Operations made plans to purchase new manufacturing equipment for some new products while the VP of Marketing & Sales began to implement a plan selling existing products. The CFO decided to cut budgets to capital improvements and marketing. All three executive team members believed that their actions would help achieve the 10% growth.
These scenarios shared four critical success factors (CSF's) that impede all organizations from achieving consistent results: communication, goal setting and goal achievement skills, attitudes and alignment.
Critical Factor #1: Communication is the key to unlocking the potential within businesses as well as individuals. When the goals are in alignment with the vision and consistently communicated from top down, then performance excellence is much more likely to happen. Inconsistent communication contributes to missed targets and lowers the performance for the entire organization.
Critical Factor #2: Goal setting and goal achievement are learned skills. Unfortunately, many presume that these skills are acquired during the K-12 educational experiences through the "Osmosis Process." Also, these skills are not actively taught in the corporate setting. Yet, consistent goal achievement or the results are what every organization seeks.
Critical Factor #3: Attitudes drive behaviors that result in change. Many companies focus on trying to change negative behaviors because they are experiencing negative change. However, when the negative attitudes are replaced with positive attitudes, those attitudes will drive positive behaviors creating positive change. By failing to address negative attitudes, new trends, changes or initiatives, the result is wasted resources creating a negative drain on the "KASH Box."
Critical Factor #4: Alignment is necessary to ensure that the desired results are achieved. Performance excellence happens when the strategies, systems and people are working together to build loyal internal customers that drive loyal external customers. The much heard adage about "Getting everyone to row in the same direction" is true, but probably should be amended to include the following "by using the same paddles."
When these four CSF's work together, results happen quicker and create a culture of working "smarter and not harder." The following questions may help you to achieve the consistent results that you desire as you work your strategic plan:
1. Do I know with 100% accuracy that every employee can clearly articulate the top 3 goals for the organizations?
2. Does every person within the organization consistently sets and achieves all of his or her personal and professional goals?
3. Does everyone within the organization at ALL times consistently demonstrate positive attitudes?
4. Are the strategies, systems and people in alignment to build loyal internal customers?
Leanne Hoagland-Smith, M.S. President of ADVANCED SYSTEMS, is the Process Specialist. With over 25 years of business and education experience, she builds peace and abundance by connecting the 3P's of Passion, Purpose and Performance through process improvement. Her ROI driven process solutions affect sustainable change in 4 key areas: financials, leadership, relationships and growth & innovation with a variety of industries. She aligns the strategies, systems and people to develop loyal internal customers that lead to external customers. As co-author of M.A.G.I.C.A.L. Potential:Living an Amazing Life Beyond Purpose to Achievement due for June 2005 release, Leanne speaks nationally to a variety of audiences. Please call Leanne a call at 219.759.5601 or email leanne@processspecialist.com if you are seeking amazing results.
Copyright 2005 Leanne Hoagland-Smith, http://www.processspecialist.com
More Resources
Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exitingMore Strategic Planning Information:
Related Articles
Do You Have A Customer Identity Crisis?
The trick is to determine what uniquely identifies your best customers. Fortunately, deriving this information is not difficult, and in many cases can be obtained from innocuous questions.
The Magic Of Exponential Business Growth
Is there a 'magical' way to exponentially grow your business?It's about the timeless business principle known as "Re-investment".Look, one of the most exciting times for any new business is the time when effort begins to pay off.
How To Prepare A Business Plan That Guarantees Big Profits
It is always said "If you Fail to Plan, you Plan to Fail"
Success in business comes as a result of planning. You have to have a detailed, written plan that shows what the ultimate goal is, the reason for the goal, and each milestone that must be passed in order to reach your goal.
Business Problem Solving
Is there really anything as a problem? Does chaos or challenge mean you have a problem? I am under the belief that such things as other call problems are indeed the life-blood of opportunity and the louder it knocks the greater the gain. Embrace chaos.
College Students and Graduates to Run Company Outlets or Franchises
Does your overall business strategy include the recruitment of college students to run your locations? Are you a franching company and looking for young, talented, hardworking and dedicated franchisees? There are some things to think about before you deploy such a strategy. There are both positives and negatives to focusing your recruitment efforts on college students, for instance best reason's to use college students include some of the following:They May Have Rich Parents Who Can Pay Outright For A Franchise;They May Have Parents Who Are Willing To Co-Sign For A Franchise;They are Young With Plenty Of Energy;They Have Little Business Experience And Will Not Try To Rewrite Our System;They Are Used To A Very Structured Environment;They Want To Succeed;They Might Have A Business Degree;They Are Sociable Animals And Good With People;They Will Study Our Operations Manual Cover To Cover;They Will Make Two To Three Times As Much With A Franchise Than Their First Corporate Job;They Love To Have Fun And This Is A Fun Job.
Breaking the Growth Barriers in the Information Technology and Software Sector
There's nothing automatic about corporate growth, particularly in the information technology industry; build it and they will come is a myth. In the real world there is either a structured, process-driven growth cycle, or stagnation-and stagnation is automatic.
I Always Play by the Rules and It Stinks!
This week I coached a wonderfully lovely woman I'll call Jill. She's a bright woman, very compassionate and sweet.
5 Strategies That Will Boost Your Business Productivity Today! - Part 2
Growing your own small business can be one of the most exciting journeys you could ever embark upon!But it's important that you continuously implement new and fresh ways to generate sales and improve your profitability in order to stay ahead of the market!Here are the next 5 Strategies to help you propel your business to new heights of success!1. Develop your own Loyalty ProgramIf you have a look in my wallet, I have a Jesters Pies Card, a Subway Card and a Video Ezy card - all of which entitle me to something for nothing once I have made enough purchases!Some people will call me cheap?I just think it makes sense! If I'm going to buy something anyway?why not go somewhere that rewards me for my loyalty?If people have to buy your type of product or service from somewhere, why not make it more attractive for them to buy from you?Create your own loyalty program and create regular, satisfied customers who get rewarded for giving you their business!2.
Microsoft Great Plains in Agriculture - implementation highlights
In this small article we'll concentrate on farmers associations and non-profit state-sponsored organizations, dealing with subsidized state and federal programs distribution and management - loans to farmers and rural communities. As we realized this is relatively narrow market niche and it is almost ignored by software developers.
Connecting Your Offline Business to Your Online Business
These may sound like no brainers, but you'd be surprised. No matter how high-tech your business has become, there is no doubt you still have some non-electronic aspects of your company.
3 Ps of Planning - Prepare, Personalize, Pilot
Here's a really simple way to make sure your plans always
produce the results you expect."There is one quality which one must possess to win, and
that is definiteness of purpose, the knowledge of what one
wants, and a burning desire to possess it.
Nine Succession Planning Mistakes Small Businesses Should Avoid
1. Attempt Succession Planning Without Other Strategic Plans.
Alice In Wonderland - A Parable for A Business Plan
Remember reading "Alice in Wonderland?"She asks the Cheshire Cat, "which way I ought to go from here?"
"That depends a good deal on where you want to get to," said the Cat.
"I don't much care where," said Alice.
Planning for Success
Business planning is widely acknowledged as one of the
keys to business success. Yet there is still a great
reluctance by small business owners in this area.
Own Your Niche by Building a Niche Community
In 1997, David Steele was making the transition from a professional therapist to relationship coach. Part of his strategy was to become a center of influence and THE Relationship Coach for his community.
Do You Really Need a Business Plan?
"I don't need a business plan."Neither did Alice in Wonderland.
Abstract thought on Business Strategy and Nature
Here is an abstract thought on studying nature and the natural order of things; things which work to help you better understand and strategize in business, war, sports or military operations. Let's compare the methods of distribution of organic viruses to all other more obvious distribution methods.
Top Reasons To Form A Strategic Business Alliance
A strategic alliance is when two or more businesses join together for a set period of time. The businesses, usually, are not in direct competition, but have similar products or services that are directed toward the same target audience.
Dayton, OH; Why your Company needs to expand there
In Ohio: besides the 3-Cs you should look at Akron, Dayton, Canton, Toledo, Youngstown and their suburbs. We have been serious studying these areas quite intensely for quite a while, here is what we found; Dayton OH, is looking up after the recent GM Plant received high ratings for productivity being able to beat the Domestic Averages for time to build cars and SUVs, it's SUV Plant was amongst the top performers in the Country for time to build at an average of 20.
3 Undercover Ways to Make Big Profits from Your Competition
You have heard that there is extra money on the table
marketing products related to yours. You have also heard
that your direct competitors product is off the table.