Small Business Information

Small Business Strategies - Four Critical Success Factors


Scenario One

During a recent presentation, a business owner was given the following challenge. If 10 of his 100 employees were asked to name the top 3 organizational goals for the current year as they perceived them to be, would he receive the same 3 goals from everyone or would he receive 5, 10 or even 25 different goals? The business owner shook his head and thoughtfully responded, "No, I am sure that I would receive more than 3 goals." He was then asked to consider what these misdirected actions from his employees were costing him in terms of missed opportunities.

Scenario Two

At another presentation, a business owner was asked if she set goals? She responded quite enthusiastically, "Of course, I set goals." She was asked a follow-up question: "Can you state with 100% conviction that your employees know how to consistently achieve both their personal and professional goals?" After a few moments, she replied "No." She was then asked how this lack of knowledge potentially affected her bottom line?

Scenario Three

A president of a company was asked: "Have you ever seen behavior inconsistent with your strategic plan?" He quickly answered "Yes!" A second question was asked, "What did you do about it?" "Well, we sent them to training and within 6 months we had to send them back again?" A final question was then posed to the President. "Are these performance failures a result of a lack of knowledge or skills or due to poor attitudes and habits?" The president immediately said "Why bad attitudes and poor habits." Again, the facilitator asked another question: "What are all these re-do's costing your company?"

Scenario Four

During the annual meeting, the CEO of a manufacturing company informed her executive team that she wanted to achieve a 10% growth during the next 12 months. The VP of Operations made plans to purchase new manufacturing equipment for some new products while the VP of Marketing & Sales began to implement a plan selling existing products. The CFO decided to cut budgets to capital improvements and marketing. All three executive team members believed that their actions would help achieve the 10% growth.

These scenarios shared four critical success factors (CSF's) that impede all organizations from achieving consistent results: communication, goal setting and goal achievement skills, attitudes and alignment.

Critical Factor #1: Communication is the key to unlocking the potential within businesses as well as individuals. When the goals are in alignment with the vision and consistently communicated from top down, then performance excellence is much more likely to happen. Inconsistent communication contributes to missed targets and lowers the performance for the entire organization.

Critical Factor #2: Goal setting and goal achievement are learned skills. Unfortunately, many presume that these skills are acquired during the K-12 educational experiences through the "Osmosis Process." Also, these skills are not actively taught in the corporate setting. Yet, consistent goal achievement or the results are what every organization seeks.

Critical Factor #3: Attitudes drive behaviors that result in change. Many companies focus on trying to change negative behaviors because they are experiencing negative change. However, when the negative attitudes are replaced with positive attitudes, those attitudes will drive positive behaviors creating positive change. By failing to address negative attitudes, new trends, changes or initiatives, the result is wasted resources creating a negative drain on the "KASH Box."

Critical Factor #4: Alignment is necessary to ensure that the desired results are achieved. Performance excellence happens when the strategies, systems and people are working together to build loyal internal customers that drive loyal external customers. The much heard adage about "Getting everyone to row in the same direction" is true, but probably should be amended to include the following "by using the same paddles."

When these four CSF's work together, results happen quicker and create a culture of working "smarter and not harder." The following questions may help you to achieve the consistent results that you desire:

1. Do I know with 100% accuracy that every employee can clearly articulate the top 3 goals for the organizations?

2. Does every person within the organization consistently sets and achieves all of his or her personal and professional goals?

3. Does everyone within the organization at ALL times consistently demonstrate positive attitudes?

4. Are the strategies, systems and people in alignment to build loyal internal customers?

Leanne Hoagland-Smith helps individuals and organizations to secure results usually within 2 to 12 weeks. She coaches lifelong change through proven processes seeking that next level of success. If doubling your revenue, improving your organizational culture or finding balance interests you, visit http://www.processspecialist.com or ask to subscribe to complimentary copy of Power Choices a monthly newsletter at info@processspecialist.com


MORE RESOURCES:

WNCT

BofA's Small Business Lending Woes
BusinessWeek - 8 hours ago
by Amy Barrett Bank of America (BAC) has taken a hit on small business lending—and that could mean still tighter credit for entrepreneurs. ...
Analysts: Sooner is better for BofA capital raise Bizjournals.com
Bank of America Corporation Q3 2008 Earnings Call Transcript Seeking Alpha
Bank of America Announces Third Quarter Earnings and Capital ... International Business Times
Wall Street Journal Blogs - DSNews.com
all 861 news articles


Reuters

Candidates Present 401(k) and Small-Business Plans
New York Times, United States - 2 hours ago
Campaigning in Ohio, Senator Barack Obama also put forth a proposal to deal with the economic crisis, urging a rescue plan in which the Small Business ...
Obama Proposes Small Business Rescue Plan Washington Post
Obama Unveils Small Business Rescue -- And Boosts SBA Inc.com
Obama proposes small business rescue plan United Press International
New Hampshire Business Review - New Hampshire Business Review
all 37 news articles


How Small Business Owners Can Cope With the Crisis
BusinessWeek - 11 hours ago
Chad Moutray, chief economist at the US Small Business Administration, says small business owners are scared like everyone else. "A lot of them are sitting ...


More (Gloomy) Numbers for Small Business Owners
BusinessWeek - 11 hours ago
This week American Express Open Small Business Monitor released a survey based on the responses of 602 small business owners across the country. ...


SMALL BUSINESS: Federal Agency Opens Hot Line On Financing
Hartford Courant, United States - Oct 9, 2008
NEW YORK — WASHINGTON —NEW YORK - Small-business owners with questions about finance or other business operations can now call a small-business financing ...


NASA KSC Honors ASRC Aerospace Corporation as 2008 KSC Small ...
MarketWatch - 15 hours ago
The NASA Small Business Industry Awards recognizes the outstanding contractors that support the space agency in achieving its missions. ...


CBS News

Obama unveils ‘small business rescue plan’ during Ohio stop
Toledo Blade, OH - 14 hours ago
Mr. Obama unveiled what he called a "small business rescue plan" to offer disaster-style loans through the US Small Business Administration and to offer tax ...
Obama Criticizes Republican Tactics New York Times
Obama Says McCain is Trying to Fuel Anger and Division ABC News
Obama unveils plan to help small businesses CNN Political Ticker
Dayton Daily News - Bloomberg
all 326 news articles


Economic impact on small business
WLUC TV6, MI - 7 hours ago
It may be only a small business with 6 employees, but the problems of Wall Street trickle down to them. "What it's doing, it's destroying the confidence of ...


TVNZ

Obama, McCain Scramble to Address Voters' Fears
Wall Street Journal - 2 hours ago
John Kerry, chairman of the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee, introduced a bill that would treat the financial crisis like a federal disaster, ...
Debate quotes from McCain, Obama The Associated Press
How the Candidates Stand on Minority Lending and Affirmative Action HispanicBusiness.com
Combined Wire Services Hartford Courant
Evening Bulletin - Pensacola News Journal
all 939 news articles


Cape Breton Post

Scotiabank goes the extra mile to meet with small business people
Cape Breton Post, Canada - 1 hour ago
The Scotiabank Small Business Get Growing to a Million RV tour made a pit stop in Sydney Friday on the cross-Canada tour, which began on June 3 in Vancouver ...
Small business is a big deal Bugle-Observer
Scotiabank hits the road for small business Cape Breton Post
all 3 news articles

Small-Business - Google News

Good Credit Loans | home | site map | School Bus Clothing | Florida Pool Heating
© 2006