Effective leadership needed drive change in your business in 2010.

Monday, March 1, 2010

If you are like the majority of company leaders the short answer is not much until it’s forced to happen.

 

Just like the famous new years resolutions for weight loss or some other worthwhile goal frequently falls by the wayside the goals of business leaders for their organizations frequently go off track.

 

March is the last month of the first quarter of 2010. By now you should have a good idea of where your plans and goals are headed foe the year.

 

There is an old saying that people change only when the pain to change becomes less than the pain of staying the same.

Experience has shown this to be all too true.

 

We’ve all read that over 50% of business that fail don’t have a business plan. What is probably not as well known are the following facts:

 

• ·     90% of well crafted and documented strategies fail due to poor execution.
• ·     Over 70% of business improvement initiatives and programs fail due to inability to sustain focus.
• ·     Nearly 90% of leadership teams spend less than 1 hour per month on strategy.
• ·     On average 95% of employees don’t know or don’t understand the company’s strategy and don’t even have access to it.
• ·     92% of organizations don’t measure performance.

The current recession has forced many companies to make changes. The question is, were those changes proactive or reactive in nature? Change is a constant, and how you plan for it and deal with it is up to you.

 

My role as a business coach gives me a broad inside look at many types and sizes of organizations. I like to tell people I have two types of clients, the inspired and the desperate. Unfortunate there are too few inspired and far too many desperate.

 

In my business I am constantly looking at programs and tools available to small and mid-sized business leaders. There is no shortage of information and products to choose from. What must be considered prior to buying a product or service is what is the desired outcome? Clearly sustainability is an issue in the majority of companies regardless of the challenge. The statistics above prove that.

 

A seminar on quality, or motivation usually lasts as long as it takes for the participant to get back to the office and get hit with “business as usual”. The only thing that drives true change is spaced repetition of a new concept and accountability.

True change management starts with a clear vision, is supported by a documented plan that aligns people and processes to support that vision, and is sustained by leadership and accountability.

 

There just isn’t any other way.

 

Follow the link for a free whitepaper “How to Recession Proof Your Business “