Boredom is the Result of Ineffective Processes

There is no question that doing business can be more complicated than ever. But many owners and managers operate in a process vacuum. There's nothing more worthless than a perfunctory executive meeting where everyone just goes through the motions and no strategic decisions are made. Over the years, how often were there times when sheer boredom was the only item accomplished on the agenda?

Every business has their own style and culture, but some patterns of behavior inspire people to perform. Here are five real-world lessons to avoid the process vacuum.

1) Remove the blinders and see where you are. The most important part of a process is articulating the vision; where you are and where you need to be. In an effective business process, managers rise above the paperwork to have clarity of the process and navigate through the activities that lead to a specific result. 

2) Don't lose your sense of humor. There’s a huge difference between serious business decisions with big implications and taking yourself too seriously. People and teams are more effective and make better decisions when the mood is lightened.

3) Hard work is the best inspiration. Objects in motion are more likely to stay in motion. Nothing inspires great work more than working hard, accomplishing goals, achieving milestones, and winning business. Absolutely nothing.

4) Challenge people to excellence.  The best and most successful CEOs expect their people to be the best at what they do. Hold people accountable for their responsibilities, provide necessary resources and training, support decisions, and acknowledge efforts.

5) Measure and track results. Focus on measurable goals to track the impact of your work. Establish a continual process of asking questions so results are relevant and perceptive.

Effective business processes focuses on meeting the needs of the customer and delivering a good or service that will fulfill that need. 

Outperform the Market with Purpose

I recently had a discussion with a business owner who challenged the necessity of identifying organizational purpose. From their perspective it was simple; to make money to survive. Business was a necessity to survive life, a means to the end and nothing more.

Making money is a result of doing good business. Purpose is why we are doing business. Organizational purpose is more than a goal that is completed and forgotten. It permeates and defines why we do, how we do, and what we do. When our focus – our purpose – is clear, the organization is aligned, engaged, and can thrive.

Science is increasingly validating what people have known about our individual selves: that purpose is a foundational core. Purpose dramatically affects our longevity and well-being, and it creates drive and passion. We change, our priorities and values shift; confidence grows, dissolves into doubt, returns; relationships evolve, form and reform; we have life milestones and events – all forming the complexity of life.  Our individual purpose is not discovered once and then we are done with it. It is reexamined and discovered at various points throughout life.

Organizational purpose is no different. The business changes, shifts, grows, and adapts; forming the complexity of business. Organizational purpose is the ability to have perspective, awareness, and be conscious of the opportunities and challenges and should be reexamined and evaluated at various points as well.

How Do You Measure Up?

As we approach the end of the year most of us formally or informally, take some time to review current year and look towards the next. By now most large companies have completed next year's budgets and established sales goals, and are probably are almost finished with updating their dashboards and report templates to be able to measure next year's sales. Its good business and most would agree that drives achievement.


Then why, according to the 4th Annual Staples National Business Survey, did more than 80% of the 300 small business owners surveyed say they don't keep track of their business goals, and 77% have yet to achieve their vision for their company?

With that statistic, it should be no real surprise that individuals have similar statistics. According to Dave Kohl, professor emeritus at Virginia Tech, 80% of Americans say they don't have goals, 16% do have goals but don't write them down, and fewer than 1% review them on an ongoing basis.