Clarity Counts

Why is a plan to develop your team's capabilities so important? #operationalexcellence #smallbusiness

What could having a truly engaged team bring to your business? And how? (Hint: it goes beyond the salary and perks you can afford). ------ IF YOU DO THIS: -> Help them understand your business, and the value you deliver -> Empower them with the skills and information they need to do their job well -> Prove you're committed to their success, in their current and future roles -> Give them a voice in decision making, and listen to them THIS ALLOWS THEM TO: -> Connect their work to the organisation's strategy and purpose -> Act with honesty and transparency -> Talk about problems and opportunities, and ask for help early SO THEY CAN: -> Be proactive in finding ways to serve your customers better -> Understand and buy in to changes in your business -> Take pride in doing their job well -> Take responsibility for their own development -> Contribute to other team members' performance and development ------ What else would you add to this? What has worked for you? --> Share your stories in the comments. #operationalexcellence #smallbusiness

Welcome to Development Plans 101. In part 1, find out: What is a Development Plan? In short, it's a plan to improve your team's effectiveness by building their capabilities. See below for more. (Coming up next: Why, How, Who, When and Where) Have I missed anything? Let me know in the comments, and I'll cover it in Part 2. #operationalexcellence #smallbusiness

What do your staff think that your customers really value? When did you last have a deep discussion with them to find out? And do you agree with them? --> If they know, and you agree with them, great! --> If there's a discrepancy, or they don't know, there's an opportunity for you to do something better. Your team will have a different view of your clients day-to-day needs, so their insights are a goldmine of useful information. To help make sure you keep delivering value to customers, and to understand what might be driving them away, ask your team! ------ I'd love to hear how you tap into your team's insights about what customers value. Do you have regular check-ins, or some other approach? --> Share your experiences in the comments! #smallbusiness

Want to make a start on improving operations in your small service business? DON'T start with automation or AI, unless... ...you really understand the work that your team do first. Many businesses use automation like a band-aid. When things are not going to plan, it can seem like a band-aid is what you need to stop the bleeding - a quick 'win' that can buy you some breathing space. But when you add automation or other software tools in your business, you're cementing processes in place. And that makes them harder to adapt or optimise later. But are your current processes the right ones to move your business forward? How do you know? --> The best place to start is with a deep dive to understand your team's daily work, inside and out. Then the axes of improvement become easier to find. ------ For real progress on making your business more competitive, profitable and sustainable, you'll need more than band-aid solutions. If you're ready, I can help you get started. --> Book a free no-obligation chat to plan your next steps: https://lnkd.in/dQicbmG5 #operationalexcellence #smallbusiness

When I'm looking under the hood in a business, where do I start? The first step is deeply understanding the work your team do. Here's why. ---------------- --> Do you know what your team would say about what really happens in your business? --> When did you last have a deep discussion with them about what THEY THINK your customers really value? --> Do you want your team to be part of the solution?

I'm a generalist. So how do I help small businesses improve their operations? I'm not a strategy expert (for a real one, I suggest Alex M H Smith). --> But I understand core principles well. I'm not a technology expert. --> But I do better than many. I'm not a marketing expert. --> But I know enough. I'm not an HR expert. --> But I have some useful experience. I'm not a data analysis expert. --> (OK, I'm pretty close on this). I'm not a Finance expert. --> But I speak the language. In fact, I'm not really even an Operations expert. Operations is such a broad domain: if you need really deep specialist expertise in supply chain, customer service, automation, logistics, Lean Six Sigma, Continuous Improvement, or JIT, many other people are better placed than I am. --> But I've worked successfully in or around all of these operations functions for 20 years or so. I'm a generalist (and a proud member of Generalist World!) So I AM an expert in: --> seeing the big picture --> asking good questions --> making sense of complexity --> problem solving --> collaboration and communication --> and in COMBINING these generalist skills with my broad knowledge and good judgement. THIS is how I help small businesses find practical solutions. #generalist #operationalexcellence #smallbusiness

Imagine it. In 4 months time, a day in the life of your business looks like this: > Your employees are engaged, stress-free and productive. They understand your business well. > You're flexible enough to meet every customer's unique needs. > You have the data and information you need to plan and make good decisions. > You stay ahead of changes in the market. > You have all your risks identified and under control. > You're winning more customers, and maintaining your quality and value as you do so. It just runs like clockwork. Operational Excellence: achieved ✅ What difference would this make for you, as the business owner? --> Follow me for practical analysis on how you can make this happen in your business. #operationalexcellence #smallbusiness

Here's a simple 6-part framework for understanding simple x-part frameworks. Simple x-part frameworks: 1. Get attention on LinkedIn because they seem to make a complex subject simple. 2. Are sometimes right, if your situation is also simple. 3. Are usually too simple, because most situations have subtleties they can't provide for. 4. Can't handle situations with uncertainty. 5. Need steps added, removed or rearranged, or conditionality (if A then B, else C), to handle subtleties and uncertainty. 6. Are therefore not really actionable. They can be an excellent way to open up a new subject area, or offer a different way of looking at things - I posted one last week in fact. But they're almost never actionable enough to take you to where they promise on their own. ---- > What's more actionable? A good second step is talking through your situation with someone who takes the time to understand what's really going on in your business, asks good questions, has a good grasp of useful underlying principles, and uses their experience and judgement to help guide you towards a solution. This is how you'll find a path forward that's tailored and actionable for you. ---- I help small service businesses to achieve Operational Excellence, so they can be more competitive, profitable and sustainable. Let’s get started by discussing your situation and planning what's next. Book a free no-obligation call: https://lnkd.in/dQicbmG5 > Know someone who would find this useful? Send it their way! #operationalexcellence #smallbusiness

How do you know if a service business has achieved Operational Excellence? It's simple: just become a customer. You'll find out pretty quickly. > Do they delight you? > Do you feel comfortable and valued? > Is your experience seamless and easy to understand, from first contact to final 'thanks'? > Are they proactive and responsive, making sure you get what you need, even if you don't know it yourself? -- If you've answered Yes to at least one of these, then congratulations! There's every chance that you've experienced Operational Excellence. https://lnkd.in/dFWM6mus It doesn't mean that the business can't do even better. Operational Excellence is not just a one-time initiative, but an attitude of continuously improving how the business works. But you know they've made a good start. -->What's the last business that delighted you like this? What did they do so well? I'd love to hear your story in the comments.