As I facilitated a strategic planning assembly, the brand new COO mentioned to a group of senior managers, "I'd like each of you to provide me an estimate of the % of time you spend managing operations and the % you spend figuring out strategic alternatives to improve the organization."
One by one they replied, and a pattern turned clear. The managers spent about eighty% of their time attending to operations and 20% on strategic opportunities.
"Not good enough. I anticipate you to spend 70% on the lookout for strategic alternatives to improve the organization's margin, service and market share and 30% on operations," the COO challenged.
The SVP to whom the managers reported described all of them nearly as good performers, assembly or exceeding their annual efficiency goals. Several of them were focused on changing and bettering their operations. Yet they did not describe themselves as figuring out strategic alternatives to improve margin, service and market share.
The place they were missing the mark? They did not perceive the "enterprise of their business." They couldn't describe the clear line of sight between what they were doing and the important thing outcomes of the organization - especially people who had to do with growth.
Nice leaders, at any level of a company - from individual contributor to supervisor, to manager to executive - perceive with increasing clarity the enterprise of their business. They know what key measures are indicators of organizational performance. They know how they and their reporting groups drive these metrics. They are able to conceptualize their work in this larger strategic context and to seek the best alternatives for driving measures in the best direction.
With out this understanding, no matter how good your efficiency and every thing else you might have been doing, you'll be stuck right the place you might be!
So, no matter your current level in the organization, learn the enterprise of your business. What's the process stream that generates money? Who are your key exterior stakeholders and how do they measure your organization's efficiency? What are the important thing inner indicators of organizational efficiency and the place you'll find them? What customers is your enterprise focusing on and what are the organization's acquisition and retention methods?
Then, whether you might be an individual contributor or have reporting employees(s), learn how to view your tasks in this larger strategic context. Ask your self questions corresponding to:
* Can I draw a direct line between what I am responsible for and people measures? Do I make this direct line clear to my reporting staffs and/or colleagues?
* Do I treat as excessive precedence my activities that have the greatest impression on these measures? Do I help my reporting staffs and/or colleagues stay focused on these priorities?
* Am I focused on bettering processes with a view to drive these measures? Do I maintain my employees and/or colleagues focused on bettering processes to drive these measures?
For those who can answer "yes" to those questions, you might be positioned to lead. If you can't, you aren't.
In different phrases, learn the enterprise of your enterprise and lead now, or eternally maintain your house!
About The Author
Carroll has been writing articles on-line for practically 8 years now. Not only does this writer concentrate on Leadership, you can even take a look at his latest web site on the best way to convert AVI to WMV with AVI to WMV converter which also helps people find the best AVI to WMV converter on the market.
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