Please don't build bureaucracy into your growing business
Here’s a photo I took upon returning from my Sydney trip last week. About 15-20 Service Victoria personnel were waiting for our flight that just arrived at Melbourne’s Tullamarine Airport.
This was in stark contrast to what I was greeted by when arriving at Sydney airport the day before. Sydney airport had NO Bureaucracy, no government health workers, no border permits…nothing. I don’t want to delve into politics about one state versus another state, nor how Federal and State authorities co-exist or do not. I DO want to draw a parallel between this and running a growth business. (Whilst not the best reference, I am depicting the Federal Government as your business’ Executive Team, and the State Governments as your separate Business Units or Divisions).
Knowing how driven leaders like you are to succeed, make a difference, and overcome any challenges that confront you, WHO is checking-in on YOU on a frequent basis? How open are you with those that ask about how you are travelling?
Many of you are involved in CEO forums and some sort of peer executive group. Many of you have large friendship groups. Many of you have mentors and trusted advisors. I have seen plenty of people have ALL of these in place, but still don’t let people IN to how know they’re actually travelling. I am guilty of this myself.
Many of you are on a beautiful growth trajectory with your businesses. Top line growth. Bottom line enhancement. An “amping” up of your company culture. An uplift in leadership capability etc.
And yes, as you grow your business, your organisational structure will need to evolve. Departments will be established. Processes and systems will need to be put in place. These are all necessary.
PLEASE, be sure to retain your business’ ESSENCE. Avoid the implanting of bureaucracy and allowing individual departmental cultures to form.
I have been part of large organisations where it seemed like the “war” was inside the business, not on differentiating from our competitors, or “blowing the minds” of our customers.
Customers expect CONSISTENCY. Any destabilising forces within your business caused by a lack of alignment in values and differences in living these values, have a direct flow-on onto customer experience.
One of my clients on a major growth path, has part of their strategy – “big business, small family values”. They are intent on ensuring that the key elements that have been pivotal to their success are retained and accentuated.
A few things that will support you here:
Keep your Strategic Plan on a Page alive! Refer to it frequently. Ensure you assist people to understand how their role connects directly to it.
Reinforce your Core Purpose (your WHY) over and over again! Discretionary effort will come from those who believe in and connect with your Core Purpose
LIVE your Core Values. Remembering them is a start. LIVING them is the answer. Lean into your Core Values OFTEN to build a unified, healthy team environment, that gets things done well and delivers exceptional outcomes. Core Values are at the heart of your business’ CULTURE, which coincidentally is (in my opinion) the SINGLE BIGGEST competitive advantage a company has.
Grow well!