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There is no secret to a successful business, generally it is all down to hard work and graft. But the key ingredient is making sure that you have the right people in the right roles.
That’s not to say that you don’t need to come up with a killer product or service, fulfill a need.
Everyone looks for the silver bullet – looks for sure fire way to make their business a success. The best definition I have seen is in the book “Good to Great” by Jim Collins.
S = V * W * e
SUCCESS = Vision * Work * efficiency (efficiency = consistency * method)
Obviously there are finer details around each of the components such as clarity and focus of the vision, the processes and methods employed, the efficiencies garnered by following lean practises. But generally they are the core ingredients plus the right people.
The book “Good to Great” proposes the Hedgehog concept, the three circles that you need to focus on:
It is by no means a one off process. It takes time to understand what it is and what it means for you.
Another key component is DISCIPLINE. It doesn’t matter what techniques you use or what methods you want to employ, be it six sigma, Kaizen or some other methodologies. If we do not exercise discipline in our business, in our actions and our thoughts and encourage our people to do the same, the outcome will always be in doubt – sort of an organised chaos.
All the above, as mentioned presupposes that you have the right people on board, the right people in the right positions. If you don’t then it is like building your foundations on sand, constantly shifting as people join and leave.
So is there a secret? I think that if you have the key ingredients above then you weigh it a little more in your favor.
What do you think? Next blog will provide an outline of the steps to make your processes leaner.