My greatest reward is not necessarily how successful I become but how successful you become. My vision is to empower budding entrepreneurs and through them turn our communities to cities. I want to see you prosper in business and reproduce your success story. I believe that 2017 will be better business year for you and especially because of your commitment to learning.
I read the story of twin brothers who parted with life threatening disagreement and met to reconcile years later after each have built large agric businesses. At the reconciliation meeting, both Israel Isaac and Esau Isaac shared perspective that is people focused and especially while planning to reach a destination.
While Esau Isaac recommended fast drive for Israel Isaac team members and animals to join him at his own farm for celebration and merriment, Israel Isaac responded, “You know that the children are weak, and I must think of the sheep and cattle with their young. If they are driven hard for even one day, the whole flock will die; please, go on ahead of me and I will follow slowly, going as fast as I can with the livestock and children until I can catch up with you.”
Dear entrepreneur, the moral of this story above is that business goal and plans cannot be achieved faster than the vulnerability of the work team members whose weaknesses are louder than strengths.
Vulnerable people are speed determinant in any system. They slow everybody down in business functions. A great leader recognises that every enterprise has vulnerable people; therefore the need to designs programs and create environment to support such people to improve and build capability.
How does a business leader improve the situation of people who are open to fatal error and could slow down business goal execution?
The first answer is recognition of the weakness that could negatively impact on your goals and plans.
A business leader needs to recognise the set of people with loud weaknesses in the organisation. They are people who prior to employment did not have experience in the position they currently occupy in the organisation. They are people who, though experienced, have wrong job functions. They could be people who are facing challenges in their marriages. They could be people who just lost a love one. These people challenges could impact badly on performances. It definitely will affect your plans except you address it.
Leaders know that except vulnerable people are supported to develop and tap into their potential for quality decision making at work it may slow down business activity and cost the business. So there is need to invest in health insurance, support with housing loan and mortgage, provide staff bus and cars, sometimes subsidy on food, and design programs for emotional capacity building in form of training and seminars which takes us to the next answer.
The second answer is invest in capacity building
Invest in human capacity building programs consistently. As the business kicks off in the New Year you need to put in place plans to improve the ability of the workers to drive the business objective to success. How about encouraging your team members to look out for relevant certification programs, seminars and training that can enhance their decisional ability in the role they play on the team. May be you as a business leader will also have to look out for programs and seminars that can help improve your leadership skill.
The third answer is focus on what you can change
You need to focus on what you can change because you cannot change every vulnerable situation or people. We need to recognise that nothing can be done to help chicken soar like an eagle. Some of your workers who have refused to improve on the team will have to be counsel to switch to another team or department and maybe to join another business organisation entirely.
The Fourth answer is build team that will fulfil business goal
You need to hire people objectively. Bring people on board when you are clear of the missing value you think should be added.
It is important to hire team members objectively and by that decision among others so that your team members and you can be on the move to fulfilling the business goal at the same pace.
Dear friend, my encouragement for you is that as you are thinking about strategies to expand your organisation service and to enter new markets in the New Year, do consider that some of your workers will need support, training, compensation and motivation to start the new business calendar on a great note and sustain the success to the end. I see you expanding and not reducing in business. Welcome to season of business opportunities and expansion.
Victor Mamora
