Eight Weeks to Business Change

Eight Weeks To Business Change

By Andre Taylor

Searching for the right business strategy, many organizations fall in love with big concepts. But for many, it stops there, as “doing” can be an elusive concept.

In my advisory work, I suggest a systematic approach to tackling change comprised of an 8-week period of intensive focus, followed by a repeat of the process in 8-week increments throughout the year. Here are the eight big questions to explore during this process:

Week One:

What are the next 5 things we must do to get closer to our vision?

This is the hardest part for many organizations. We often have too many objectives. It is important to have a crisp vision, but even more important is developing a crisp daily focus. This focus should consist of a handful of clear objectives.

Week Two:

If we keep doing what we’re doing will we achieve our vision within our timeframe?

During the first week of our program, you’ve defined your focus and you’ve begun to take action. But once you begin, you are bound to see adjustments that must be made. You must now take inventory of where you are.

Week Three:

“Who are the people and partners best suited to help us reach our vision?”

Creating change in an organization requires the participation of many people with different talents, backgrounds and perspectives. Vendors, advisors, partners, mentors, and customers are all needed and we need multi-generational team members to shape our approach.

Week Four:

What are our potential and current customers saying to us indirectly?

Develop an attentive ear. Your audience is often telling you things indirectly about their likes, dislikes, tastes, and preferences. We may think we’re listening, but instead we are really thinking of our customers as a group, rather than individually.

Week Five:

How do we create a new, distinctive relationship with our audience?

Our objective is to reach a level of interaction with our audience that reduces and ultimately eliminates boundaries. We want to penetrate and understand the customer “psyche” and discover what’s beneath the surface.

Week Six:

How do I move into the view of new customers and partners?

New audiences want to feel like they’ve discovered you. Your role is to help them do this, by moving into their view. By partnering with other organizations, you will expose your business to new audiences.

Week Seven:

How are we managing the natural conflicts and complexities that arise?

Dynamic organizations are comprised of people with differing views, experiences, and competencies. We need a composite of organizational talents to advance our mission. We must also change the perception that disagreement is bad, or that there should be a penalty or stigma associated with failure.

Week Eight:

How do we follow through in the most efficient way?

Today’s environment requires highly focused periods of evaluation, ad hoc teams, a rapid assessment of the situation, and quick decisions. We must also trust individuals with an uncommon understanding of the situation who can “run” with their creative vision.

© Copyright 2007 – André Taylor – Taylor Insight Group, LLC. Go to www.andretaylor.com and get Andre’s free newsletter.