Over the last 20 odd years, I have worked with hundreds of companies, big and small. Success for many of these organizations was a result of timing, being in the right place with the right solution and for some was more about the ability to replicate their expertise. Time and again, three things always stood out as common denominators among all the successful companies. Those that had succeeded, that had crossed the chasm. Here is the magic trifecta that I found was a Code for Guaranteed Success.
Hire the Right People
We are still far away from robots taking over our jobs. Today, humans, people -- we still are an integral part behind the success of an organization. Skilled workers, people with talent, expertise and know how are sough after by every success focused company in the modern world. For organizations hiring the best talent and the most skilled workers is not the bigger challenge. The bigger challenge is to hire the right people. Motivated people that can drive results and unlock value. As a result it is hardly a surprise that today, organizations spend countless hours and thousands of dollars in ensuring that their needs match candidate skills and most of all an organizational fit.
Put special emphasis and extra due diligence when hiring people. Make it a habit to spend the maximum amount of time discussing what drives people, what motivates them and if their life philosophy aligns with your organizations direction.
Invest in Creating Processes
One of the biggest reasons for successful cultures like Japan and many others are the ability to create processes. I say Japan because it has created some amazing business processes that are being used worldwide in hundreds of organizations. You probably have heard the names of Kaizen, Kanban and others. Processes are also the fundamental building block for almost all professions such as accountants, doctors, engineers and others that rely on the repeatability of previously defined processes that can help optimize the way work is done in a particular situation. Ever heard of ISO9001, Agile, Waterfall ? yes these are all processes. Processes are what defines how an organization handles the flow of work. At various levels within the organization different departments work with processes based on what has been proved to be a success factor offering time and cost saving, and aligned with the way the organization wants to work. Enabling processes and providing your people with these processes is a sure way of being on the path to success.
Start with basic processes that your teams can follow. Use the expertise of the stars you hired to constantly refine processes and to make business process execution more efficient. It pays a lot in the long term, helping you focus on your core business rather than on fixing admin stuff.
Spend Time on Execution
Opportunities most of the time have a defined window. This window offers the best ROI for that specific opportunity considering all other factors. The opportunity may still be valid at later time, but not necessarily offering as much success and value. Capitalizing on this window of success is all about execution. Your strategy may be rock solid, but if it fails execution, it's worth dust. Execution is a challenge faced by every company under the Sun. It's not uncommon to see the need for putting on multiple hats at the same time, but if that's what it takes, just get it done. Planned execution is the ability to action initiatives that have previously been vetted, debated and acknowledged as success bringers.
Always put your best into planned execution for better results. Make sure that everyone within your organization or team has the understanding of following processes even within the execution stage.
That's it. It is that simple. These three steps can help establish a solid foundation for anything that you undertake. These steps are not meant for small businesses, start-ups or large companies but for everyone who wants to succeed.
They say that success is about being ready when the opportunity knocks at your door. You can make sure you are indeed ready by perfecting these three steps and using them as much as you can to succeed.