Strategies for Business Growth - Part 1

Posted by jpayne on January 26, 2009 under Business Growth |

What Businesses Can Do Differently

Strategies for Business Growth

Strategy 1:

Build a Complimentary Team and Organisation

Look around your organisation. How many people are there from the same university, the same MBA class and at a senior executive level, the same club? Does this approach truly benefit your company or is it limiting the scope of growth and progression?

Adopting this more traditional approach is what I call the ‘chummy mentality’. Recruiting people in your own image, who evidence a similar educational background, hold a similar viewpoint and come from a similar background. 

Whilst this approach may provide continuity and a pleasant working environment, is it really benefitting today’s leading companies?

Recent events would seem to suggest that a like-mindedness  is not what is required. Consider the integrity of some of our largest corporations.  Highly intelligent people at the helm, but also at the centre of every controversy. We must ask ourselves were those voicing a differing opinion listened to? Where was the challenge? Where was the compromise?

Fresh ideas and values, people not afraid to express their views and a new way of doing things are essential and to be encouraged if the creativity and objectivity of an organisation are not to be diluted. Diversity is to be celebrated not sidelined.

The prized ceos will surround themselves with people who compliment their skill set, not those who match it. They will seek to be challenged. There is a line of thinking which says that the ceo should be the stupidest person in the room. Whilst this may sound bizarre, in essence it is sound common sense. No one person can have all the ideas or be abreast of the latest thinking . A smart executive will recognise this and build a team that has an individual yet complimentary skill set.

Action:

Build a complimentary team. Look for different skill sets and fresh ideas. Embrace challenge.

Julia Payne Associates provides consultancy and coaching to SME’s and FTSE 500 companies. Contact us to discuss solutions that make a clear difference.