What is going on in an organization that is constantly successful? What do people do? How do they interact with each other?
It starts with the organization’s definition of what success looks like and the values they want promulgated throughout the employee body.
My 33+ business career saw both failure and success, but what I found to characterize periods of consistent high levels of performance were these 5 concepts.
1. Doing…
— Act not pontificate. Nothing gets done unless thinking gives way to getting it done.
— Over-analysis can paralyze the decision making process and result in dynamic inaction. People are too busy studying what should be done. Pick a direction and move!
— Invest emotional energy to the task at hand to achieve results; passion is critical.
Also read: One Of A Kind People Make An Amazing Culture
2. Lots of…
— Have many irons in the fire; there are rarely any silver bullets to success.
— Progress is measured in an abundance of inches of forward looking activity.
— Innovation doesn’t come in big chunks, it comes in bits and pieces that add up to a winner.
— Engaging with everyone leads to greater success as more ideas are spawned.
— Tries are critical; the more tries, the more wins and a steady stream of successes.
3. Imperfect…
— Seek imperfection as the established modus operandi.
— There is no such thing as perfection. If you think so, you’ve been going to school too long.
— Seeking the perfect solution to anything is an impossible task and results in little progress.
— An imperfect idea successfully implemented is far more effective an intellectually pristine notion that never gets off the ground.
— Striving for perfection cultivates innovation rigor mortis. When people see no results they stop trying to create new ideas.
Also read: How To Create A Culture Of Imperfection
4. Stuff…
— Look beyond the traditional product world.
— Covet opportunities to be “weird”. This attracts people and sets you apart from competitors.
— Step out of the crowd and be different with a twist of your own.
— Take contrarian views when looking for solutions to problems or capitalizing on opportunities. Don’t copy; do what others DON’T do.
— Look for what people desire, want and “lust for”, not what they need. Their needs are most likely being satisfied elsewhere.
— Choose something unique; break away from traditional views. Products and services are old school; experiences are new school.
5. Fast…
— Choose speed as a vital component of strategy.
— The first mover has the competitive advantage. Get to market FAST!
— Accelerate past the failures and quickly get on with trying something else. You can’t be nimble if you are dragging.
— A continuous stream of innovation separates the great organizations from the mediocre ones.
Successful teams aren’t known for a single strength; they adhere to a number of critical practices which define who they are.
(Success) = (Doing) (lots of) (imperfect) (stuff) (fast).
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