First up, ask yourself, “What makes a healthy business?” Our experience tells us that the answer comes in two ‘six-packs’ and starts by delivering on the following fronts:
- Meets targets – the organisation is achieving its internal goals and fulfilling external obligations.
- Delivers for customers – there is clarity in knowing who your stakeholders are and what they demand, with the organisation geared to deliver towards that.
- Is the right size – the organisation is scaled for success and has tangible and robust future plans.
- Manages risk and remains resilient – the organisation and its people understand the risks, have the necessary governance, operate with the right controls and secure systems in place and are able to deal with internal challenges and external shocks.
- Is focused and capable – there is an enterprise-wide understanding and application of the business’s priorities, driven by a motivated workforce that adapts to internal and external challenges.
- Builds belonging and purpose – the people within the organisation are united by shared values, forming part of an equitable, inclusive and respectful community.
These six steps are not independent of each other but can be assessed and measured to ensure all the pieces of the puzzle are in place.
Taking into account constraints, such as effort and budgets on small-businesses operations, we have framed six tips as questions for business owners and leaders to reflect and act on:
- Are our teams clear on how their roles deliver to the strategic objectives?
- Good looks like: Clear and coherent business plan and priorities. Teams understand where to focus and why.
- Are we clear on what our customers need and are we laser-focused on delivering to that?
- Good looks like: We have data from customers on what’s working and an assessment of internal activity to ensure it aligns to customer needs
- What is causing bottlenecks in decision-making and are our teams collaborating?
- Good looks like: Decision-making is timely, clear and considered. Teams collaborate where it adds value. People have the information they need to do their job.
- Do we possess the right capabilities and is our culture stifling the way we work?
- Good looks like: Resourcing the right people into the right roles, at the right time. Individual actions align to what the company stands for.
- Are our products evolving to meet customer needs?
- Good looks like: Exceeding customer expectations and investing effort on what will deliver value in six-to-12 months.
- Do your systems make our lives easier to do business with?
- Good looks like: Minimal manual work that detracts away from customer experience. Data is readily available to help understand performance and support decision-making.
