Spring is coming – is it time for a business spring cleaning/evaluation?

There is an old tradition of spring cleaning which seems to be present in some shape or form in many cultures. Spring cleaning literally is the practice of thoroughly cleaning a house in the springtime. However it could also be useful to consider a structured approach to an annual business spring cleaning/evaluation.

With inspiration in the systematic approach for acute critically ill patients in the emergency room the ABCDE of Trauma (Airway, Breathing, Circulation, Disability, Exposure) I have taken the liberty to make my own ABCDE model of spring business cleaning/evaluation, with simple questions for you to reflect over and see if changes are needed for the coming period. Something I know is a common routine in large global companies, but maybe not everywhere…I hope you find it useful.

A-Assets

The 5 P’s (People, Patents, Products, Process and Policies) are usually a company’s greatest assets. Take a moment to evaluate the temperature of each of these -

Do you have the right leaders? Do you have aligned people development? Is your succession pipeline adequate (both for products and people)? Do you have the right balance between global and local understanding of process and policies?  

Food for thought: What happens if we invest in developing our people and they leave us? And what happens if we don’t?

B-Business model

Is your business model the right one to cope with future changes in the external macro environment? Are there any new requirements in your business area? Are there changes in the competitor picture? Are you innovative enough? Do you see changes in your customer base? What are the greatest risks for your business model?

 C- Culture

 The world is changing – Trust in your company can easily be lost if there is no coherence between the communicated and the actions – Do you have the right ambassadors to role model positive showcasing of your company - both live (in person) and via SoMe

 Food for thought; Quote E. Rosevelt , “Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.

 D-Differentiation

 Is your ambition level for differentiation clear and transparent to employees? Is your organisation equipped and agile to handle the any new strategic direction and requirements both from the internal and external environment which may be needed to differentiate yourself from competitors? Is disruption for your core business a risk causing your customer base to drift ?

E-Exposure

Why do people join your company? Is it because you have a good reputation and work in an interesting area?In a world of @MeeToo and rapidly moving SoMe stories it is critical that your company and your leaders are seen as positive to the world as possible. Do you have the ability to handle any negative exposure and turn this around to be positive for your company, so that you can keep our good reputation and always attract the best talents?

These are all questions you should be able to respond to and reflect upon – I firmly believe doing this once a year can add benefits and help you to be “on your toes” and avoid risk of complacency, which could happen if you are in a very successful business.

Good luck with the ABCDE model of business spring cleaning/evaluation, and Happy Spring.