All business is a journey not a destination: Stop Planning and Start the Journey.

A business plan is a necessity for any business. It is the result of painstaking thought and analysis, translated into a strategy and action.

Many advisers will tell you, quite rightly, that simply having a plan is not the path to success. They will tell you that to execute your strategy you will need to be continually planning, and taking operational or tactical decisions as you are sure your objective. I’d like to suggest a different way of looking at this.

Continue reading “All business is a journey not a destination: Stop Planning and Start the Journey.”

Purpose is the game of champions, and subservience to purpose is a proven path to success

Where organisations are struggling to succeed, or survive, or just to run harmoniously, there is often an absence of purpose.

Most of these organisations have a great vision, mission and strategic plan, but lack the spark to pull it all together.

In his book, Purpose: The Starting Point of Great Companies, Nikos Mourkogiannis records that “…purpose – not money, not status – is what people most want from work. Make no mistake: they want compensation; some want an ego- affirming title. Even more, though, they want their lives to mean something, they want their lives to have a reason”.

You can’t find much fault with that!

Continue reading “Purpose is the game of champions, and subservience to purpose is a proven path to success”

Business after COVID-19 – Press Reset and Focus on Your Purpose

As the world reopens after the COVID-19 lockdowns, you might be considering how to rebuild your business. To focus your thinking ask five questions.

  1. If there was only one thing you could do to re-establish/grow/improve your business, what would it be and how would you make it happen?
  2. If there was only one thing you could focus on to improve your own personal performance, what would that be and how would you make it happen?
  3. What market signals or messages are you not listening to or not confronting and how will you respond to them?
  4. What three things are going right for the business and how can you capitalise on these?
  5. What is the purpose of your business? Do your answers to the first four questions support that purpose?

Spence and Rushing argue that believing deeply in your purpose is the way to build and nurture your business. Look at every decision, big and small did you make and ask whether or not it will support or subvert your core purpose. Focus on purpose, and keep in mind why you are in business and profits will follow. Keep in mind what you are fighting for.

Spence R M and Rushing H (2011) It’s Not What You Sell, It’s What You Stand For: Why Every Extraordinary Business Is Driven by Purpose.  Portfolio Trade ISBN-10: 1591844479 See Page 295

What is Vision and Why is it Important?

Vision creates the focus for the organisation. 

Darling (1992:5-6) explained the need for leaders to “have an agenda, an unparalleled concern with outcomes” and to be “results-oriented” because “results get attention”.  He also considered that “their visions or intentions are compelling and pull people towards them”.  A leader is a “sower of seeds”, the “leader of learning” and the “purveyor of philosophies”, contended Reimann (1992:39-43).  

De Pree states (1989:9) “the first responsibility of a leader is to define reality”.  And visioning is seen as “part of a continuing process of orienting an organisation to the emerging realities of the outside world” (Nanus, 1992:20).  The leader is the direction setter and must define the vision; “but it is the subordinates who must define the objectives that move the organisation toward the desired outcome” (Pagonis, 1992:124).

Thus, the first task of effective leadership must therefore be to have a vision that is compelling enough to command attention – to win commitment of the members of the organisation so they are motivated to achieve common goals.  Berg (1992:64) asserts that a shared vision :

  • creates alignment and common purpose;
  • lifts peoples aspirations and “fulfils their desire to be part of a meaningful undertaking;
  • provides focus and inspiration for new levels of success;
  • increases the discretionary level of energy people put into the job;
  • provides a defence against the forces of doubt, cynicism and self-interest;
  • encourages risk taking; and
  • reduces turnover in personnel.  

However, having a compelling vision alone is inadequate for accomplishment as a leader, and must be complemented by communication and relationship building skills (Langeler, 1992; Rowsell and Berry, 1993).  

Berg D H (1992)  Living leadership: mastering the moment.  Journal for Quality and Participation. 15(5):62-66  

Darling J R (1992)  Total quality management: the key role of leadership strategies.  Leadership & Organisation Development Journal 13(4):3-7

De Pree M O (1989)  Leadership is an Art.   Melbourne: Australian Business Library, Information Australia.  

Langeler G H (1992)  The vision trap.  Harvard Business Review. 70(2):46-55

Nanus B (1992)  Visionary leadership: how to re-vision the future.  Futurist26(5):20-25

Pagonis W C (1992)  The work of the leader.  Harvard Business Review, 70(6):118-126

Reimann B C (1992) The 1992 Strategic Management Conference.  The Planning Forum 20(4):38-46  

Rowsell K and Berry T (1993)  Leadership, vision, values and systemic wisdom.  Leadership & Organisation Development Journal. 14(7):18-22