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Anyone who manages people – whether employees or suppliers – has experienced the frustration caused by differences between what they thought they asked for and what they actually got. Or if they’re working with clients, differences between what they actually promised the client and what the client thought was promised.
The amount of communication exchanged between people is higher than ever, but the quality of communication has not followed the same trend. From a business point of view, high quality communication requires less frequent exchange of messages, allowing more time and capacity for productive work. Effective communication – especially when asking for feedback or for an action – is a crucial skill that can significantly affect productivity and relationships in the workplace. When we spend time and effort ensuring our “ask” is geared to get the desired results, we minimise the risk of misunderstandings, reduce the need for redoing work, and foster stronger professional relationships. While the skill of an effective “ask” is quite complex, and takes many years to master, one quick tip for busy leaders is to always consider the “T’s & C’s” of an “ask” before sending – or saying – it: Tone, Time, Context, and Clarity. And, yes, these apply to instructions or mandatory required activities as well; it’s always better when people participate by choice rather than on demand. Tone The tone of the message has a massive impact on the outcome of it. We always need to be aware of our underlying emotions – frustration, anger, irritation, indifference – when we create messages, especially when we’re having conversations with other people. The speed of exchanging messages during a conversation usually doesn’t allow us much time to formulate and check what we want to say, so those emotions can quickly become apparent in our tone of voice and other non-verbal cues. Even when we’re communicating via text, our emotions might not be as hidden as we think. A few simple changes to the length and structure of a message, the grammar and punctuation used, and editing something that could be read as demanding, rude or manipulative, can make a dramatic difference in how our “ask” is received. After all, that should be our focus when we decide what – and how, and to who – to say: the action the message is intended to inspire. Time The effectiveness of our communication is also influence by when someone receives our message It’s best to assume that their attention is divided when they read or hear our “ask”, and that they will appreciate elements in the message that can help them to prioritise their response or actions. It can be as simple as including when we expect feedback or action from their side, why that specific time is important, and any knock-on effect a late response or delivery might have. Time and timing also affect the choice of communication platform. When an immediate response to a quick “ask” is needed, an instant messaging platform like WhatsApp or iMessage is appropriate during working hours. After agreed working hours, these platforms should really only be used for emergencies. Remember: a lack of planning on our part does not constitute an emergency on their part! An “ask” that includes more detail is best left for email. These types of “asks” often require deeper consideration, and we should therefore not expect an immediate answer. The reduced immediacy of email also allows for the editing of messages towards the greater goal of effective communication, especially when we’re managing misunderstandings, conflicts or sensitive topics. Context If the “ask” is instructional or requesting an action, give context for the “ask”. Explain what led to the “ask”, why they are receiving the “ask”, and which other tasks, projects or people are interlinked. If the “ask” is part of an ongoing conversation, and it is intended to clarify a misunderstanding, don’t be afraid to state that the purpose of the “ask” is to identify and clear up an evident misunderstanding before continuing with the task at hand. Clarity When we’re in a hurry, details that might be helpful to the person receiving our “ask” are often left out of our messages. Even if it is reasonable to expect that the other person will know the requirements – why, what, who, where, when and how – relevant to the “ask”, assuming that the other person already knows these things is one of the biggest communication mistakes we can make. When we have no specific requirements for the response or action to our “ask”, we should include that details and emphasise that what we require is to take initiative on the format and structure of their response or action. Otherwise, the first response we may get will most probably be a time-wasting “more information required” message. In a situation where the person we are communicating with is seemingly not understanding us in the desired way, simply restating our “ask” in a similar way to the original message almost guarantees the confusion and frustration to continue. We will do much better if we make sure that the other persons understanding of the details of our “ask” aligns with our intentions. The best way to do this is by giving them an uninterrupted opportunity to summarise the key points they understood from the communication up to that point. Listen carefully, as very often it is a very small, seemingly unimportant piece of the puzzle that is askew that is the root of miscommunication. The responsibility of effective communication is shared between everyone involved in the communication, but the only control we have over getting better answers is how we ask our questions. As the frenzy around the start of 2024 wears off, business owners and leaders must ensure that their trends watchlist for the remainder of the year includes more than technological advancements.
Societal and behavioural trends can significantly impact the operations – and ultimately the success – of any business. Small and medium businesses are especially vulnerable if they are caught unawares. Awareness and acceptance of neurodiversity A notable trend gaining momentum is the increasing awareness, acceptance, and accommodations for neurodiversity in the workplace. In 2024 business owners and leaders should challenge their perceptions of neurodiversity. The focus should shift to the potential strengths of neurodiverse employees like enhanced pattern recognition, unusually quick creativity, blunt honesty, and other elements that are crucial to working innovatively and resourcefully. Fostering an inclusive environment that both acknowledges neurodiversity and adapts working conditions to the strengths and needs of neurodiverse individuals can become a key differentiating factor for a business. Distracted employees While employers strive for increased employee engagement and loyalty, the prevailing “cost of living crisis” is driving employees to seek ways to generate additional income in their spare time. These longer working hours often lead to exhaustion which can in turn show up as distraction, disengagement, and even burn-out in employees at their primary workplace. If businesses can’t afford to pay their employees more, adaptations to contracts and performance indicators could be considered. These adaptations could allow more transparent conversations – without fear of punishment – about the individual circumstances of each employee. Insourcing Businesses that have traditionally outsourced some non-core activities – often marketing, HR, and accounting services – should consider bringing the activities in-house with the assistance of AI. On the other hand, businesses that offer services that can now be offered to some extent by AI tools must urgently reassess their offerings in the face of the resulting insourcing trend. It is now more critical than ever for these businesses to articulate their unique value proposition in a way that assists clients in making the outsourcing vs insourcing decision. Knee-jerk decisions In a world driven by viral sensations, knee-jerk reactions to capitalize on the latest trends can be tempting. It is however crucial to align such decisions with the overarching purpose of the business. Business owners and leaders should avoid being seduced by opportunity into making panicked moves that might compromise long-term objectives in pursuit of short-term gains. Social shaming As members of the public shine their social media spotlight on practices and products that were once accepted without question, businesses increasingly run the risk of coming under viral fire for any negative impact caused by their raw materials, manufacturing processes, working conditions, and marketing tactics. With a diverse workforce and client base spanning multiple generations, it's imperative for business owners and leaders to not ban or ignore social media platforms. While the feedback shared online might not be fully accurate, it often contains elements that allude to the root cause of issues that are also on the mind of a wider client base. Business owners and leaders should therefore remain attuned to any demographic shifts – and evolving behaviours – within their workforce and customer base. These shifts should be met with ongoing adaptation to product or service offerings and communication strategies accordingly. The business landscape in 2024 demands a holistic approach that integrates technological, societal, and behavioural considerations. By remaining aware of these trends and their potential impact, business owners can position themselves to navigate the challenges and opportunities with more ease. As published by Inc.Africa Running a sustained profitable business might be hard, but it doesn’t need to be complicated.
Traditional advice guides business owners who feel stuck in some way to review – or create – a business plan as a framework for identifying the cause of feeling stuck. The catch is that a business plan can often be unnecessarily complex or lengthy for a business owner that is in need of quick and practical insights. An existing or template business plan may also be more geared towards funding requirements than the relentless grind of running a business past the initial exciting first few years. Business owners who are feeling stuck or overwhelmed need a simple structure that they can remember and review of the top of their heads. The following structure requires that a business owner reviews the entire business using only three main topics – strategy, sales, systems – and five questions – why, who, what, where, when, and how. For more complex entities, the same three topics and five questions can be used for each distinct business unit. The trick to keep this structure as simple and useful as possible is to stick to the three main topics, and to adapt the specific questions to the unique needs of the business. This flexibility also makes it much easier for business owners to do this review quickly and regularly. Strategy Every business needs a strategy. In the simplest terms, designing a business strategy is deciding where the business is going and how it’s going to get there. Questions to ask during this topic of the business review include:
Sales A brilliant business strategy is useless without sales that bring it to profitable life. Questions a business owner can ask themselves when considering the state of sales of the business include:
Systems Under the systems topic of this simplified business review, a business owner has to consider the people, processes and technology that enable the business to consistently implement its strategy.
After completing this quick review, all that’s left for business owners to do is to create an action plan based on what they discovered during the review, and then do everything they can to make sure that the plan is followed. As published by Inc.Africa Companies spend millions each year on creating a culture of peak employee performance, but many still find their workforce stuck in the mediocre middle – often despite the best efforts of employees.
To move from mediocrity to consistent peak performance, business and team leaders must create a culture that allows employees to successfully implement what they’ve learned during training, mentoring, coaching, and conference sessions. Even the most well-trained and well-intentioned employees won’t be able to perform at their best in a culture that suffers from one or more of the following: Lack of clear expectations Business or team leaders should never assume that everyone is aligned in terms of expectations simply because policies, procedures, and guidelines are available for viewing on the company intranet or have been mentioned in a meeting. Making expectations clear requires communicating them in a way that others can understand, and then checking whether everyone correctly understood what was communicated. Employees also shouldn’t be expected to read the minds of their leaders or translate hurriedly relayed thoughts into clear instructions that will meet the expectations of leaders. Great leaders understand that they need to provide context and clarity when they assign tasks or request certain behaviours. If expectations aren’t clearly communicated in a way that resonates with them, employees will perform according to their own priorities and level of experience, which might then be unfairly measured as poor performance. Lack of planning and/or prioritising It is unfair to expect high-quality work and employee well-being when leaders are in the habit of piling on ill-timed ideas or demands without understanding the ripple effect it may have on activities already in line for delivery. Great leaders know how their decisions and actions will affect a team/project/organisation and they take responsibility for managing the impact of those decisions. They are also skilled at managing demands from others to allow the employees they lead to deliver quality work on time and within budget without suffering burnout. Lack of autonomy To create an environment conducive to peak performance, business leaders must keep red tape, compliance, and administrative activities to a minimum, so employees have more time and energy for delivering profit-generating work. Instead of micro-managing every task of employees, great leaders regularly emphasise the purpose, vision, and values of the business, and then trust that employees will get on with what they’re supposed to be doing in the way they’re supposed to be doing it. Lack of feedback Different employees will have different views of the expectations communicated by their leaders, so it is crucial that employees receive quick and ongoing feedback on their performance to highlight any misalignment. To avoid wasting the efforts of capable and well-intentioned employees, leaders must create opportunities for employees to do quick alignment checks without fear of being judged on the in-progress roughness of a task. Feedback sessions on progress should leave employees feeling focused and motivated, not confused and dejected. Employees can’t be expected to make improvements if their leaders aren’t specific in pointing out misalignments between expectations and current status, and why improvement is necessary. Lack of capability While an employee might have been appointed based on their proven ability to deliver what their role initially expected of them, changes to the business environment might require a change in capability. These changes require genuine two-way conversations about how each person sees their role within the changed context, and whether they are willing to make the necessary adjustments. If there are gaps between what the employee can do, and what they need to be able to do, it is easier than ever to find training material in a format that will help them to bridge the skills gap. To create a culture that allows employees to successfully implement what they’ve learned during training, mentoring, coaching, and conference sessions, business and team leaders must figure out what they can change about their own actions that will set employees up to win. Great leaders provide structure, training, trust and quick feedback to enable an environment of peak performance. This of course only really works when each employee is the right fit for the job, and if leaders are willing to act if an employee continues to not align with reasonable and clearly communicated requirements. Business leaders across the globe worry about attracting and retaining top talent, especially as remote and hybrid workforces are becoming the norm. In their responses to surveys they often list it as a main inhibitor of profitable growth into the future!
Despite this, most business leaders and managers prioritise other tasks over recruitment and talent selection rather than seeing it as a vital part of their jobs. In addition, many business leaders and managers do not have the skills required to ensure that the right people are found and placed in the right jobs. Statistically, using traditional recruitment methods has a 60% failure rate, resulting in an enormous waste of time and money. Getting recruiting right is therefore something that can’t be left to an HR department or line manager alone; business leaders have to get personally involved. Getting the right people for the right jobs as a four-stage process with each step being of equal importance: Specify Before advertising a vacancy, business leaders must be crystal clear about the job specification as well as the attitudes and behaviours of the person needed for the job. This, in turn, needs to align with the purpose, vision and values of the company. The best talent has a choice these days and will simply not work for an organisation whose values they don’t share; another reason why leadership needs to be actively involved in recruitment. These specifications should be written down and be clear enough for anyone to understand. This will help to prevent two common recruitment mistakes: deciding what the job specifications are based on the available talent or hiring based on chemistry rather than true fit. The popular saying “hire for attitude, train for skill” is very noble in its intent, but business owners and leaders adhering strictly to this sentiment might run the risk of not achieving the optimal mix of behavioural competencies needed for peak performance. Find Owners and leaders of smaller organisations often fall into the trap of thinking that they won’t be able to attract top talent, so they approach the vacancy listing process with a timid attitude. Top talent isn’t however always the most expensive people or the most qualified. Instead, they are the people who are the absolute best fit for a specific role in a specific organisation. It is therefore of utmost importance that a vacancy listing is not just a list of required skills and experience; to attract the appropriate talent, the vacancy listing must reflect the true culture and values of the business and what it’s like to be part of the team. To access the top talent pool, business leaders must involve those who are experts in selling the benefits of the company in creating the vacancy listing. Marketing people are often a better choice for this task than an HR department or even recruitment agencies. That is the best for a business to attract top talent – that might be currently employed – rather than limit itself to a talent pool of despondent job seekers. During the interview process of shortlisted candidate, top talent will most likely ask questions to help them determine whether the values of the business align with their own values. If they can’t get a clear idea of what the values are or how the business practically lives those values, or they feel that their values do not align with those of the business, they’ll go look for employment somewhere else. Assess It is astonishing that many companies around the world still rely on an impressive CV with one or two interviews as the only activities to recruit talent. Even references can’t be guaranteed as a mark of quality as they can be influence by litigation around labour disputes. True top talent will be able to prove that they are the best during an assessment that must form part of the recruitment process. The difficulty of the assessment will of course differ depending on the job level recruited for, and businesses must never abuse the assessment process to gain free insights or labour. Assessments may appear to be time-consuming and costly, but the cost of getting recruitment wrong has been estimated as about four or even five times the employee’s annual salary! It’s therefore much less expensive to use assessments than to recruit and train an employee who was never right for the job or whose aspirations conflicted with those of the business. Negotiate The final stage in the recruitment process should be a discussion and negotiation between the selected candidate and their potential direct manager on the exact details of the role and remuneration package. People can truly make or break a business – irrespective of its size or shape. With economic pressure rising and an increase in leadership burnout, no business leader can afford to stand back and allow mediocre talent to come on board. As a business leader, one of your main goals is probably to get the best out of your team – and that means keeping them motivated and engaged. But let's be real, it's not always easy to keep morale high and productivity levels up. So, how can you make sure your employees stay motivated and give their best effort day in and day out? Here are a few tips to try:
Much has been published on living a purpose-driven life, and many business leaders try to apply the same philosophy in business. The concept of purpose is however a bit different when we think about it in terms of business.
MYTH 1: Business purpose can be found The purpose of a business doesn’t ‘magically’ reveal itself. In business, the owners of the business – whether sole owner, partners or shareholders – must simply decide whether the overarching purpose of the business is to grow it, or to sell it, as running a business to achieve sustained profitable growth is quite different from running a business to secure the highest possible sales price. If the owners of a business decide that they want to grow the business, then they have to make sure that every decision in the business allows it to take a step towards that purpose, not away from it. MYTH 2: Business purpose is only for certain types of companies Maintaining a business might appear to be a third option, but even a so-called ‘lifestyle business’ needs to achieve sustained profitable growth to prevent its inevitable end caused by rising inflation, rapid changes to market conditions, unforeseen losses and so on. Organisations operating for a social cause rather than for profit generation are also not exempt from being clear on their purpose. Most of these businesses will never have the overarching purpose of being sold, so they have to then make decisions on the three aspects of a sustainable business: financial, social, and brand impact. While the social purpose might be obvious in a non-profit organisation, the focus on financial growth – and the effect of brand impact on that growth – needed to achieve that purpose is often lacking. The question every owner of every business – irrespective of size or sector – should ask themselves is: If I don’t know where this business is going, how will I know if it is veering off course? MYTH 3: Business purpose is static As the purpose of a business can only be decided by its owners, a change in ownership often triggers a change in purpose. Whether through merger, acquisition, or handing over the ownership reins to the next generation, a shift in purpose that is not crystal clear to the owners will result in muddled efforts by everyone employed in the business. If you are a business owner that employs someone to run the business for you, make sure that they understand your purpose for the business and that they are capable and equipped to achieve it. If you are the one who’s employed by the owners to run the business, are you running based on your assumption of what the purpose should be, or have you checked with the owners what their purpose for the business is? Until someone creates a way to accurately predict the future, there is no way to prepare your business for every change that will come its way. Whether it is a pandemic that changes the economic outlook, societal trends that change consumption patterns, or machinery or infrastructure that breaks down, change is truly inevitable.
The key to thriving within and beyond disruption is not resistance, it is robustness. To move beyond a fixation on how disrupting disruption is, everyone running – or involved in running – a business of any size in any sector must be skilled in building robustness into the business so that it can adapt quickly and smoothly to the prevailing conditions of the day. A truly robust business doesn’t just survive the punches dealt by exponential change; it is set up to keep on winning in a new game of business. Win by being exceptional It is simply not good enough to be good enough anymore. What was successful fifty years ago might not be enough to even stay afloat now. These days, a business has to be better than market average in everything it does and everywhere its clients connect with it. Products and services that exceed client expectations, and a buying process that is frictionless, combined with a unique and memorable customer experience is not aspirational anymore; it is now a necessity. And so is using technology to consistently achieve that standard. The need to constantly assimilate, adapt, and adopt innovative technology and processes across all departments in a business is greater than ever before. Irrespective of the size or available resources of a business, as many people as possible should constantly be on the hunt for different ways to do things towards achieving better results. Yes, as many as possible people across the entire operation. If this thought scares you, maybe you should consider whether you have nines and tens – the best of the best – in your teams. Employees who score nine and ten out of ten aren’t always the most experienced or the most expensive; they are simply those best suited to the unique requirements of your business. Employing the best of the best is crucial if you want everything your business does to be exceptional. Win by being a great place to work and play For business owners or leaders who do not employ only nines and tens, the thought of giving employees what they want can be frightening. But even average employees could be more willing to give their best all the time if they:
Get the right people into your business, and then do everything you can to make them want to stay there. Win by always prospecting for new clients Irrespective of how long your business has been around or how much market share it currently enjoys, it’s dangerous to rely solely on existing customers! The rule for whoever is responsible for selling – yes, even if it is the business owner – is that they should spend at least 20% of their time prospecting for NEW clients. And that should never ever stop. A robust business has a robust pipeline of opportunities and orders to fill. Never let your salespeople – or yourself – tell you that there aren’t any more clients available to sell to. If you’ve knocked on the door of every single potential client in one market, then start selling to the next market! The golden rule of sales is to sell to people who have money, and to remember that money has a tendency to move. Be bold and explore new locations to target or new clients needs to fulfil. Win by having everyone focused on the bottom line Too many business owners or leaders see the growth of the business as their sole responsibility. However, while they will be held accountable for it, they have every right to share the responsibility throughout the business. Everyone in the business – yes, everyone – can set a growth target to achieve. From reduction in expenses to increase in number of prospects to better customer service; it’s all possible! Set targets, enable your people to achieve those targets, and you might be pleasantly surprised by what they – and the business – achieve! These are the most exciting times in which to run a business. There are endless opportunities to overcome challenges, but only if you decide to lead your business with belief, passion and courage. In business, effort and sacrifices only hold value if they produce results that others are willing to pay for.
Are you building busyness, or are you building a business? And what about the people you pay to help you build the business? Is everyone in your business doing what they are supposed to be doing and how they're supposed to be doing it? If not, it might be because of: - lack of understanding (suggestion: play around with different communication styles and formats until you find something that helps them to get to the necessary a-hah moment) - lack of capability (suggestion: find training material and a training format that will help them to bridge the skills gap) - lack of shared purpose and values (suggestion: increasing regulation/compliance/systems rarely work ... rather emphasise the purpose, vision and values of the business regularly and have genuine two-way conversations about how each person sees their role contributing towards it) Yes, leading people takes time and effort. Yes, it's an ongoing responsibility as the business and people in it evolve. Yes, the suggestions only work if you have 9s and 10s working in the business. If lack of will/caring to align with requirements is a persistent attitude, my only suggestion is to start the process of terminating employment. People make or break a business. I've learned hard, expensive lessons with "breakers", and am incredibly grateful to now experience the ease of working with "makers". When business gets tough (as it often does) we have a choice: worry about the tough things, or work at making the tough things better.
The first piece of business advice I can remember is "if you want to ride the highs, you've got to be able to ride the lows". Choose how you spend your energy! |
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