It’s important for you to see your business thrive. In the beginning, you envisioned a brand of which you could be proud. As time went on, you also encountered reality. It is crucial to identify subtle, hidden obstacles that can put a hard stop to your progress. Often, hidden obstacles erode momentum because they appear to be normal, helpful, and even harmless. Don’t be lulled into a sense of false security. Hidden obstacles are quite damaging and when left unchecked will be more difficult to overcome than if addressed early on.
Common Hidden Obstacles
“Culture eats strategy for breakfast”
Take a look around at the people who make up your business. From the highest-paid leader in management to the lowest-paid rookie employee, together they contribute to the culture of your business.
What do you notice? Do you see smiling faces, teamwork in motion, and positive, solution-finding conversations? Or are your teams saddled with infighting, backbiting, and negativity that eats away at momentum? If you see the latter, you are dealing with an unhealthy internal culture.
Establishing a healthy culture starts with interactions grounded in your chosen values. It is values, whether consciously chosen and reinforced or allowed to emerge by default – that shape how everything is done.
TurningWest offers cultural leadership training as one of its most effective organization development services. We will assist your leadership in understanding how to produce a healthy environment that is good for people and for business.
Troublesome Tunnel Vision
While celebrating the “wins” of your business, keep an open mind when it comes to evaluating and adapting strategies, processes, and communications. Just because something is familiar doesn’t mean it’s best. Do not allow fear of the unfamiliar to keep you from trying something new. Settling into what is comfortable could lull you into missing an opportunity.
Leaders set the standard by letting employees know change is expected and embraced. Praising and rewarding those who offer up new ideas will go a long way in establishing a new standard. Remember to ask them what sort of appreciation they would find most meaningful.
Structure and systems training is a key part of TurningWest’s organization development services. We look forward to assisting you in maximizing change management practices within your organization.
Unidentified Identity Crises
Do your team members sometimes forget who you are as a brand? Maintaining the integrity of a business brand is essential to ongoing success. It takes courage to seek input and look at the reputation you started with compared to where it is now. What may have been inspirational at the outset may have lost some of its luster because of the “dust” created by the demands of running the operation.
On the other hand, if the vision you started with is too easy to achieve, the “leftover” energy of your team may cause them to veer into unintentional mission drift. The original excitement along with early wins may have increased momentum and without a strategically chosen new target, people end up creating their own. As a business owner, you must celebrate achieved goals AND identify new ones in order to keep your team, and therefore your business, aligned with your brand promises.
With TurningWest’s Turnarounds service, you can get your organization back on course or learn how to prevent it from drifting in the first place. Strengthen your team’s ability to remain true to your brand promises by contacting TurningWest today.
