HOW YOUR CULTURE AFFECTS YOUR BUSINESS
On May 7th, I had lunch with a friend at Orchid Bistro, Greenville Place, Isaac John Street, Ikeja.
It was two months after I had tendered my resignation to fully go into business, having straddled paid employment and my business for 5 years.
The lunch was really an opportunity for me to tap into her wealth of knowledge as a consultant who had been in business for many years.
I explained to her that different projects were unique and peculiar. Her response was my first hint concerning organisational culture. She said to me, “Businesses take on the nature of the owner.” I’ll tell you about culture tomorrow.
She said that her prayer when she started out was to have clients who were reasonable and agreed to mutual dialogue.
She said to me, “Develop toolkits as you go along, so that when you hand over the task to someone else, you just give them the toolkit.”
Since Monday last week, I’ve not been to the office because of the birth of my baby. She was born via a Caesarean section. When she came out, the doctors said she didn’t cry. According to them, not crying is not a cool sign, so she had to be placed under observation.
You can agree that it can be psychologically draining to focus in such situation.
It was on Wednesday that I began to review the situation.
I had 3 product reviews to execute. I had a coaching call to do. I had to go to the radio to speak. I had to write two proposals and submit for two new projects.
But then, I just couldn’t sit still to crunch mentally.
I began to review the situation.
Yes, I usually operate the virtual model where I deliver value without being physically present, but then there are times when my physical input is needed for great functionality.
What happens to your business when you’re not there physically? Does it mean that it shuts down?
That brings me to the meaning of what it is.
It’s a combination of moving parts that are in sync.
If you’re confused about what this means, consider a car. The tyres, the electrical parts, the transmissions, the brakes, and switches are all working in sync so that the car can move safely from point to point.
The car can move from point to as long as someone who knows how to drive can enter into the steering wheel and drive it. It doesn’t matter if the person is black or white, Fulani or Caucasian, Christian or atheist.
This is the same with business.
So, say you own a pharmacy. You’ve got to develop the inventory system, the purchasing system, the dispensing system, the cash system, and the HR system.
By doing so, all you need to do to effectively run the business is to hand over the systems to the humans who will run them effectively. It becomes a plug and play kinda thing where they get results following a designed template.
So, while I was at the hospital, it got me thinking. A business exists as an entity, separate from me.
My mind went to the Facebook ads I do to showcase my products. There is a step-by-step process to doing so – from defining the audience to designing the copyad and landing pages, from setting the payment options to tracking results, everything can be completely written out and documented in a campaign folder.
So, when I have to take a vacation or be away for a while, I simply hand over the system to a member of staff who will replicate the exact process to get results. With the right training, he can do tweaks for better results.
Got the drift now?
Have you thought about when sickness can knock you off for days or you become absent physically due to some unavoidable reasons?
So, let me ask, what if you gave your job to someone to do (and you’re working on a deadline) and he is not able to keep to the promise?
Well, that’s what happened to me with the product reviews I was doing for 3 different clients. They had paid, but due to my being at the hospital, I’ve not been able to deliver them. I had to do something – I called them on the phone and explained. But then, it’s not just that that made them to mellow down.
Many years ago I set out on that journey to discover those hidden things help businesses grow and become darlings of the people they serve to the point that they can pardon them for shortcomings that may not have been their fault.
I shared my findings and thoughts in FOUR FEET FIVE. I bet I’ve told you about it before, right?
FOUR FEET FIVE will be released to the public next week, but the somber mood I’ve been thrown into since Monday last week (where I saw folks who aren’t able to pay for hospital fees and had their babies abandoned) made me think of you, Emeka.
FOUR FEET FIVE contains those ingredients that form part of your culture as a business and deliberately doing them so that you consistently experience success.
I’m happy I have a newborn, so I’ve slashed the price to grab a copy of the book to N1,000 ($5). This offer will end on Friday, 8th August, 2017 when I’ll end the 5 lessons I’ll be sharing because of my hospital visit.
At N1,000 ($5), that’s peanuts. You gotta get yourself a copy!
To make your order, click here >>> Grab FOUR FEET FIVE
