Great companies succeed – and accomplish significant things – in the same manner that great people do, through focus, discipline and winning habits. It’s a matter of knowing what you want to accomplish, having a plan for getting there, working hard, tracking progress, dealing with roadblocks and setbacks, learning, growing, persevering and celebrating success.
No doubt, it’s easier said than done – or everyone would be doing it. And taking a company to the top – judged by consistent double-digit annual profit growth – is a complex task. That’s why the few who are skilled at it make the really big bucks.
But you and I are in it for the really big bucks – and for the challenge and the fun and the tremendous good we can do for others if we are successful. So, we might as well get started. The article “Great People Want to Work for Great Companies” laid out the accepted wisdom on “how to build a great company,” derived from those who have unquestionably done it. But here we want to focus on the culture of winning companies.
Successful, high-achieving companies have three key qualities in common:
- Openness to listening and learning from others
- Comfortable, even addicted to, regularly checking and judging performance
- Achieving is in their DNA
Incidentally, these are the same qualities of successful, high-achieving individuals. But in describing the qualities of a person, we call it their “nature.” In a company, we call it “culture.” It’s what the organization is as a group of individuals.
How do you get the most out of a team? By doing two things well:
- Formulating winning strategies
- Maximizing the contribution from each team member
Information is critical to the formation of optimal strategy. In war, great strategies are formulated through intelligence gathered from all points “in the field.” To conceptualize this, I like to envision a military war room full of “top brass,” where massive amounts of intelligence, of all types and from all sources, are gathered and analyzed. Then the group discusses and interprets the data, and together implements strategy and monitors progress as new information comes in.
Similarly, winning teams and great leaders build a culture of open and robust communication. All players share their thoughts, experiences and ideas with people at all levels of the organization. Strategy options are robustly discussed and passionately debated. Then the “boss” is charged with deciding which will be attempted. Once the plan is set, it’s fully adopted as “the plan” and everybody figures out and agrees on who will play which role, and commits to specific responsibilities and objectives.
Then, in the implementation phase, when it’s time to execute, the imperative is to get the very most out of each and every player. Every member must be fully empowered and engaged; constantly and proactively taking offensive and defensive action. Along the way, intelligence is gathered and shared at all levels to modify the strategy as needed.
Great athletes regularly check, test and evaluate. They monitor their weight, body fat content, training hours, strength, capacity, endurance, competition results, etc. They share them with their coaches and friends. They have a training plan and schedule. At all times, they know where they are in their schedule. They wake up each day with a purpose, and work their plan, and each day has a purpose in the overall plan. This stuff is a part of who they are. It’s a part of their DNA.
Great companies do the same.
To make achievement part of your company’s DNA, begin tracking performance at all levels – company, department and individual. Regularly print and distribute data in a format that is easily understood (such as charts and graphs) to all employees. Have all employees (managers included) post their own goals and performance at their place of work for all to view. Post department performance at the department head’s office. Post your own individual performance according to pre-established goals, and the company-wide performance, outside your office door.
Do this, and you’ll be well on your way to building a culture of openness, teamwork, contribution and performance.
This article originally appeared in The Business Owner Journal, the periodical of choice for owners of small and midsize private businesses. All rights reserved, D.L. Perkins LLC. © 2012.
This publication is intended to provide general information on the subject matters covered. It is sold and distributed with the understanding that neither the publisher nor any distributor or advertiser is engaged in providing legal, tax, insurance, investment or other professional advice. The advice of a qualified professional should be sought before any reader applies a concept presented herein to his or her particular situation or business.
D.L. Perkins, LLC is solely responsible for this content.
