In times of confusion and slow growth in your business, getting an outside perspective may be the fastest and best way to ensure your success.
One of my first solo consulting jobs was with a company who had a good product but was experiencing some internal communication problems and was not timely adding new customers.
I set up appointments with company managers and proceeded to interview them one by one. As I interviewed them I was surprised at the openness in which they voiced their frustrations about the internal workings of the company and with each other. Political kingdoms were in full swing with each manager vigorously protecting his or her turf. Each one shared with me the political barriers they faced between the departments and its negative impact on achieving company goals.
They continued on to share what they thought were the reasons the company was not attracting and retaining new customers. When I asked each what they were doing to alleviate the problems they confessed not much, feeling as if they were not free to be open and honest in their internal communications. Attending to their own individual job was how they felt they could solve the company problems, leaving the team work and interdepartmental concerns to their boss.
Next each shared some specific actions they thought the company could do to attract, gain and keep more customers but also stated they had not discussed these with their boss. In some cases this was due to lack of the right format but with others the risks associated with "sticking their neck out" on a new way of doing things was seemingly too high.
I realized as I spoke with each manager that they were the experts in their field and as such had many of the answers to their own problems but due to turf wars, jealousy, low trust in taking risks, and lack of the proper communication methods, these solutions were not being voiced. In addition they did not see or understand that the negative energy they gave off to customers because of their internal strife kept them from being successful. Their clients wanted the product in a timely manner and good customer service. They were not interested in helping any individual manager build their own kingdom nor did they want to feel as if their customer needs were tossed from department to department.
Now I learned several things from this engagement:
1. An outside objective person will gain information faster and learn more than an internal person even if the internal person has the answers to their own problems.
2. An outside person doesn't have to worry about internal turf wars or stepping on toes, they can simply deliver the required information needed to make progress without fear of reprisals.
3. An insider gets so involved in their own problems that they can't always see the best way to get to a successful resolution.
4. The positive and negative energy from an organization will either help or hinder them in reaching their goals.
What does this have to do with you and your business? During the life of your business you'll hit many walls of what do I do now and getting an outside perspective may be the ticket to your success. Your business evokes energy and this energy either invites or repels. It's in your best interest and the growth of your business to know which.
