by Duncan Brodie
When you are in a leadership role one of the things that is key to your success is making the right choices. In these more challenging economic times this becomes even more vital. If you think about it, in buoyant times pretty much anything will work and sometimes even things that are perhaps mediocre can still produce results.
In any organisation, function or team there is always a lot to do. Time without doubt is our ultimate limiting factor for any one individual or organisation. Yet why is it some people and some organisations achieve a ton more in exactly the same time as others?
For me it is all about sorting out what is necessary or critical to the success of the organisation from what is nice to have.
On the Necessary List would be things like:
Generating Sales Or Securing Funding
Without a regular stream of income an organisation cannot survive long term. So there is a necessity for the organisation to market what it has to offer, generate interest and make sales. Even if you are in a not for profit, like a charity, you have to stimulate the interest to get the funding to carry out the valuable work you do.
Delivering A Good Product Or Service
There are very few products or services where buyers don’t have a number of options open to them. The reality is that there will always be choice. Most want a good product or service and some would actually pay a premium for it. If you doubt this, just look at the success of MAC computers.
Building A Following Or Customers Who Come Back Time And Time Again
Of course it is always good to get new customers and clients. At the same time successful organisations know the value of long term relationships. Ultimately people buy from people and organisations that they know, like and trust.
Running Slick Processes
With the demands for almost instant responses brought about to a large extent by technology, you need to make sure that your entire end to end process is as slick as possible. Unnecessary processes don’t just add time but cost which ultimately can result in you becoming more expensive than competitors.
Keeping Your Eyes And Ears Open
Things move fast in business and complacency is a big risk. The best understand this and are always on the lookout for new opportunities or ways of improving things. They are anticipating, speculating and actively seeking to get ahead of the game.
The Bottom Line: In challenging times it is not just about trying to do more but focusing your time and attention on what is critical to success.
About the author
Now I invite you to sign up for my free audio e-course Leadership Success at http://www.goalsandachievements.co.uk/
Duncan Brodie of Goals and Achievements (G&A) works with accountants, health professionals, teams and organisations to develop their management and leadership capability.
With 25 years business experience in a range of sectors, he understands first hand the real challenges of managing and leading in the demanding business world.
