Business is Tough
Being a business owner, leader or manager is tough, it can feel a very lonely place to be, there is often limited support in the decisions you need to make both strategically and tactically. At both levels, it is often down to you to make the decisions, which will almost certainly have consequences. You shoulder all the burden. You have to deal with and pre-empt high levels of uncertainty. You may be the hardest working in the business, working ridiculous hours IN and ON the business. Although more often than not IN. You have to deal with all the resistance that comes with the position. Creating business rhythm seeks to develop and maintain a flow within a growth orientated business.
Business rhythm is underpinned with the focus of developing and maintaining a ‘commercial profitable enterprise which works without the business owner, you’. So, what is business rhythm? First, let’s be clear about rhythm and its impact on everything we do. We are intertwined in rhythm; our lives are driven by rhythm. Indeed, the planet maintains rhythm in its never-ending orbit of the sun and is the source of our rhythmic existence. Rhythm is also self-perpetuating. As you build on the fundamentals we will discuss and introduce you to where and how you’ll experience growth in yourself and your business. There is the matter of consistency, to create a self-perpetuating process the maintenance of rhythm is key to the motion. If for whatever reason you step out of rhythm and draw to a halt you cease to grow, cease to have forward momentum and by virtue, start to die.
Business Rhythm is at the core the cycle of business. The owner is ultimately responsible for everything in the business and all too often is the busiest in the business as a direct result the owner deals with all aspects of the business and decision making. The owner is the default setting for the team, directing how, what, where, when etc. The owner is on speed dial to all the customers and more often than not the first port of call. The owner deals with all the business administration, debt management, invoicing, customer administration etc. The owner essentially is the default for all aspects of the business. Interestingly initially by choice as the business grows, then becoming Business trapped as the business becomes overly reliant on them.
Business Rhythm focuses on the development and the cycle of business functions. It underpins just how to create a commercially profitable enterprise that works without the owner. In the simplest terms, the business owner invests in where the business is heading, the strategic thinking. In turn, this gives clarity to the team and empowers them to deliver and deal with the customers. The customers, in turn, ensure the consistency in business and the business owner is then able to focus on further growth as a result of the increasing the business being done. This is essentially the inner core of the rhythm, the cycle of business.
Business Orientation – Execution – Delivery – Growth.
Business Rhythm is then created through continuous development areas. Business Orientation – Execution – Delivery – Growth.
Business orientation is the constant necessity to remain in the correct position in direct relations to the strategic objective. This is where you define where the business should be on the journey in relation to where you are, the actual and budgeted position. Through the act of alignment, ensure all are in tune with orientation we then need to execute with efficiency, focus and drive. Or as I term it the disciplined application of execution. Execution leads to action and in turn to the actual delivery of the product or service. Delivery focuses on two aspects which are key for the business to survive and thrive and they are consistency and predictability. The business needs to consistently deliver on its promise and more often than not over deliver on expectation. In order to maintain the business rhythm, it also needs to be able to predict with an air of certainty what’s coming. Through high levels of business synergy, we stimulate growth within the final element of the business rhythm. Which necessitates the need to then refine our business orientation. And so the rhythm continues to build and build.
We are surrounded by rhythm in life, in fact, we exist owing to a perpetual rhythm, so there is no surprise that we can attribute success in our businesses to having a rhythm. A steady focus on intensifying our business rhythm nourishes us, our teams and the business in such a way as to promote growth. A focus on simplicity, as we have mentioned the art of complexity is simplicity and if nothing else a focus on the 4 areas of rhythm will get you underway.
Now there’s a challenging thought.
