Owners are telling us that they are living in times where triage is the only way to run their businesses. One phenomenon of the post-Covid (or rather post lockdown) world is a tidal wave of pent-up demand. You can observe this in the crazy-busy real estate market and elsewhere, where the pace is relentless and buyers are ready to empty their wallets. This would typically be good news, except for another significant legacy from Life in Covid - lagging supply chain. You've got the customers, but it's hard to get the goods in a timely fashion. Compounding the supply chain situation, competition for talent is steep. Short-staffed businesses are drawing their leaders out of their offices and into the trenches to get the work out the door.
Are you one who has been drawn back into the daily fray? With so many plates to keep in the air, how do you best allocate your resources? You don't have time to ponder - you need to come up with answers now, and now, and now.
Use Core Values to inform your triage
These are the criteria by which you determine what is most important and what has to be done first. This is also when you find out which of your values are truly core, and which are aspirational. If they are Core, you are willing to take a financial hit or terminate a team member over them. Here are a couple of examples:
- Example 1 - "Peerless customer experience" - If you are truly all about your customer experience, you move mountains to get them what they need, when they need it. You might need to do different sourcing, or change whether you make or buy whatever it is that you're selling. Or you will absorb additional shipping cost to get your product to them on time.
- Example 2 - "Culture wins the day" - This is a time of real testing for culture. Are you burning up your team and tolerating some destructive stress-induced behavior, or are you pulling together? Are you opening your mind to the possibilities for remote work that allows parents and caregivers the flexibility they need to manage their families as well as their jobs? Are you feeling tempted to hire a warm body to fill an open position, regardless of whether the candidate is aligned with your values?
Core Values aren't only for the good times, the "hearts and flowers" fluff. They are best during the down and dirty times when you need clarity. Your values help you determine what to do even during the craziest conditions on the ground. Lean into them.
Oh, and if you haven't sat down with your key team and identified your business core values, do it now. It can help you now. Or reach out to ProActive Leadership Group for coaching on how to develop a business that has resilience now and for the future.
Comments
Post a Comment