14 September
And just like that, a global pandemic changed the face of business as we know it. Countless businesses are lost at sea, battling wave after wave of shifting business models and employee management, not to mention the way customer engagement is taking place. Everyone is being forced to change their structures, processes, communications and marketing…overnight.
At best, organizational transformation is a well-thought out and meticulous endeavor, where leadership teams sit and strategize the “where-we-are-now-and-where-we-want-to-be” process. Even the best change management activities end up not meeting their desired objectives – mostly because the changes taking place are not addressing the root of the issue.
The unlikely leader, Captain Jack Sparrow said it best: “the problem is not the problem. The problem is your attitude about the problem.” Most businesses spend a lot of time trying to fix processes that aren’t working without first looking at the reasons why the process exists in the first place. (Hint: it’s your mission, vision and values.) These are the driving forces that launched your business into the marketplace. At some point, you had an idea to provide a service or product that the public needed, because you saw something missing and wanted to do something about it. But, if you haven’t checked your current trajectory with your mission/vision/values guiding principles, it’s very likely you’re off course.
Simply put: your mission, vision and values are what map out your organizational strategy. The mission charts the course you take to achieve your objectives. It creates the policies by which you operate. And, policy drives behavior and your company’s culture. The vision is your North Star – it looks to the future of your business, in terms of its hopes and dreams. And, your values are how you do all of the above. If you value trust, your teams should feel empowered in their work. Accountability? Your employees deliver. Communication, integrity, respect…the list goes on…
If your organization has these guiding principles in place, yet your outcomes are telling a different story, it’s time to look back at the foundational cornerstones that formed your company. These factors steer the ship more than anything else. Shipwrecks and icebergs can be avoided by getting back to basics. And, we at Launch Point are happy to provide the map to get your company back on smooth seas.