My Top 5 Tips For Building Predictable Success®

I've listed below my personal top 10 recommendations for achieving Predictable Success® in 2007.

None of these recommendations are complex, and none of them require any resources (other than patience and perseverance), but they are challenging, and require considerable commitment to implement and maintain.

In my consulting work, I've found that these 10 recommendations are the make or break issues for most organizations trying to get to Predictable Success®.

Oh, they work for divisions, departments and teams, too:

1. REDUCE YOUR DEPENDENCE ON 'MAVERICK STARS'

Many mid-size businesses growth plateaus out at around $30 - $50m because they grow dependent on the performance of a few 'big dogs'.

Sustained growth comes from ...building a team - based culture

Eventually, this turns into a culture of cliques and mini-'cults' based around the power base of the big dogs.

Sustained growth comes from unhooking your business from such a dependence, and instead building a team-based culture of support and alignment toward the organization's common goals.

2. DEVELOP BENCHSTRENGTH

The best, quickest and most effective way of reducing the hold of the 'big dogs' is to do something which is good for the business anyway - build benchstrength in your key positions.

Ask every key manager to submit a proposal for developing a strong bench for his or her team. Work with them on the proposal until it seems realistic, then hold them accountable for implementation.

3. START ONE-ON-ONES WITH ALL YOUR KEY REPORTS

Most owner-managers are way too busy to consider spending tine on one-on-one meetings with their direct reports (*and many do not know how to do it effectively).

The reality is, if you want your business to grow, you have no option. Your business is far more complicated than it was 5 years ago, and your managers cannot be expected to know what you want from them by osmosis.

Set 3 hours aside every week, and see two of your managers for 90 minutes each. Get into their world in-depth. Coach and mentor them, and drum home - over and over again - your goals for the organization and their team for 2007.

4. START BUILDING CROSS-FUNCTIONAL TEAMS

Sooner or later, every owner-managed business has to make the transition from a 'silo-d' organization that tries to solve everything in self-contained 'boxes', to a cross-functional, organic business that brings people together across functions to deliver real, implementable solutions.

[Silo-d] solutions are too simplistic...

As a result, staying silo'd will eventually breed frustration, disillusionment and a sense of powerlessness in your best people.

Start moving to cross-functional decision-making now - 2007 is a great time to start this process.

5. FIX YOUR HIRING PROCESS

Most owner-managers are great 'gut' hirers - they get the business off the ground by making great hires.

About now, you should start getting yourself out of the hiring process, for two reasons:

1. Your gut doesn't know enough about what's needed in your larger, more complex business, and
   
   
2. You don't have the time any more to mentor and coach the folks you want to hire because they have 'great attitude'. Don't kid yourself: you're not a training organization - not yet anyway - and telling yourself that you'll train and develop someone with a 'great attitude' but lacking the required skills is just being in denial.

You need to put a professional hiring process in place that delivers 'plug and play' skilled individuals who can both fit in with your culture and deliver productivity quickly.

Next: My Top 5 Tips For Larger Organizations


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