Who wants to be the boss?
Article posted on 22nd February 2006
There is a "special report" in this months Fortune magazine entitled "who wants to be the boss? - the toughest job in business" - and it is isn't it?
In the past there was at least some element of predictability in business - you wouldn't expect your largest customers to just disappear, you wouldn't expect basic technologies used in your business to change with a speed that takes your breath away - but you have to today. For heaven's sake we are even reading about the possibility of General Motors going bust!
Fortune says that "for all companies (including the biggest) finding profitable growth in a world of overcapacity is the big headache for business leaders. I agree with this but equally I am quite clear that for most of us profitable growth is there to be had, even in a world of overcapacity, if only if we get up in my famous helicopter and truly look at the big picture of our business, its customers and their needs.
I regularly run workshops around the world for CEOs, business owners and others involved in running business - from the very smallest one-man bands and corner shops through to the very largest corporates. During those workshops I have the delegates set up a virtual company and record the profitable growth they believe they could achieve as a result of each of the initiatives we discuss. Do you know there has never been an occasion in all the years that I've been doing this when those, often highly experienced and seasoned, business leaders have not been able to generate significant "free" profitable growth from a simple combination of adopting the helicopter view, keeping it simple and applying commonsense. You'll see a typical example in my book of 40% growth in revenues and over 80% growth in profits that a group of 12 CEOs were convinced they could achieve from my initiatives!
I strongly encourage you to do the same!
Whilst talking of the Fortune article it includes in its top four "today's headaches" attracting and keeping top talent.
You may recall from a previous newsletter that my own research confirms this view - I found that 68% of business leaders I polled believed that recruiting and motivating employees was the single biggest item that might inhibit their profitable growth into the future.
Despite this finding it remains my belief that most business leaders still do not invest sufficient of their time and the company's resources into recruiting and retaining the best people.
Why, I don't know!
- but there are better ways of doing it and if I can help do give me a call (are you on Skype yet? - isn't it wonderful!) - or have a listen to my 'Recruit to Win' double CD. (yes that's blatant promotion!).
© 2006 Roger Harrop
Speaker of the Year with the Academy for Chief Executives, Roger Harrop is a former plc CEO, international speaker, author, business adviser and consultant. He is an expert on sustainable profitable business growth. Get your free e-book "Everything you wanted to know about profitable growth but didn't know whom to ask" at http://www.rogerharrop.com/ispeaker.php?pageid=2
