The Value Ladder
Posted by Craig | Filed under People
When you are in a position to show the value that you add to peoples lives they will respond.
This is why taking the time to do a value ladder exercise for your organisation can be invaluable. Richard Stutely covers this in detail in his book The Definitive Business Plan.
Showcasing the value that your people bring to your organisation internally will result in them continually aspiring to do their best work. Showcasing this value to your clients will result in them having no excuses to pay the appropriate price. This is the foundation of any strong business partnership: the relationship between value and price. As a bonus they will continue to partner with you. We ALL win when value is at the core of the partnership.
Some benefits of doing a value ladder exercise for your organisation or team:
- It serves as a check and balance – If you are leading a team toward a specific goal, this ensures that you have a handle on your processes.
- It helps with scoping out your prospective projects – Doing the exercise puts you in the position to, at a later stage, analyse and evaluate your cost against your customers value. This will minimise your risk on future projects and help you to make informed pricing decisions.
More importantly, in a challenging economy, clients need to clearly see the value that you add as their service provider of choice.
Tags: adding value, business, People
Attitude
Posted by Craig | Filed under People
Hopefully 2009 started on a positive note for all. With exciting projects and opportunities in the pipeline it is good to have a strategy to help ensure success.
Let’s be honest, business is ultimately about profit. Business leaders and management teams are responsible for executing on the organisation’s strategy and to ensure that goals and targets are met.
Experience suggest that, in business, meeting goals and targets are easier said than done. One reason for this is because we have to rely on our people to apply their skill and talent day to day in order for the organisation as a whole to generate profit. When you have a team of people working together toward a common goal your organisation has a greater chance at achieving the ultimate business goal – being profitable.
Not rocket science, but my comments above form the foundation of the main idea for this post – a good attitude toward your job, your colleagues and the organisation.
So why is it so important for everyone on the team to have a good attitude?
When the individuals in your team have a good attitude it;
- promotes openness and trust (communication)
- encourages participation and innovation
- is a motivating force
These are the softer elements to managing an organisation and frankly many of us don’t have time for this, but these elements indirectly affect the bottom line.
Great companies and organisations know this – and find unique ways to cultivate an environment that promotes satisfied and content employees. So what about those baddies? In time they will find the need to move on to “greener pastures”. If they don’t (on their own) start nudging them toward their greener pasture.
Tags: attitude, business, strategy
Navigating Tough Economic Times
Posted by Craig | Filed under General
It has been a few days since my last post. So much going on – thankfully all good.
Given the current economic situation, internationally as well as here in beautiful South Africa, these are testing times. It has been interesting to observe how business leaders are responding to these conditions.
Despite some of the negativity there are still some organisations that are flourishing.
Look beyond the numbers and I’m confident that the key contributor to their success is their investment in their people.
People that understand how they contribute to the success of the organisation will remain focused, watch for opportunities and in doing so they become the organisations most valuable asset.
Add to this smooth systems and processes and you have an organisation that is flexible to navigate through this period of economic uncertainty.
Times are tough for everyone and in my opinion relationships will be key to get us through this one.
Tags: business, People, recession
Business: The Balanced Approach
Posted by Craig | Filed under General
Passionate people, empowering tools and an ultimate goal (or dream) – In my opinion these are vital building blocks for success in business and/or personal lives.
As we grow our business , achieving balance between these building blocks is extremely important .
Without a goal, you can sell yourself or your business short .Without motivated and passionate people or with inferior “tools” you often faced with a job half done. Ideally we want our organisation to reach maximum potential.
To help create balance in your organisation, we recommend implementing systems and processes to help optimise how these elements need to integrate for the organisation to achieve the best results. Documenting the systems and processes in your organisation will be very beneficial in the long run. Don’t overcomplicate things. Start small – but do your best to have something in place!
Tags: business, People, systems and processes
