Remember the fable, the tortoise and the hare? The hare, due to his impatience and cockiness, failed to do what needed to be done to win the race. The tortoise won — slow and steady made it happen.
You, like many business executives, want to move forward faster to capture new business and other opportunities. Often overlooked are the required systems, people and practices that allow you to grow and be competitive. When you become impatient, you have a tendency to make poor decisions. Poor planning, if any, and overlooked details will negatively impact your bottom line, business relationships and reputation. Other issues that arise: You burn out. Deadlines are missed. People do not fit their jobs. Customers or potential clients are dissed. The importance of following-up and following- through on promises are marginalized.
How do you build a faster moving company?
Build a strong foundation. It won’t happen overnight. While opportunities in this fast-paced global market can happen quickly, taking them on when you don’t have the capacity to do so can actually hurt you more than help your business grow.
Set aside your impatience.
Take time to develop good relationships with your employees, management team and Board. Steadiness allows your team to utilize their experiences and create win-win strategic and tactical outcomes – it provides the opportunity for everyone to get on the same page with you. Build on what you and your team do well. Utilize a business advisor and executive coach to keep you focused on the right things, and doing them the right way.
©Jeannette L. Seibly, 2013-2015
Jeannette Seibly is a business advisor for business owners and executives of $5MM to $30MM enterprises creating million dollar results, and along the way created 3 millionaires. Contact her at JLSeibly@SeibCo.com for a free consultation of how to achieve amazing results.