As businesses grow, a variety of conditions come together to create what we call a “tipping point”. A certain level of infrastructure, role clarity and culture must exist to ensure the business sustains it’s growth trajectory.
Keystone provides IT consulting to small and midsize businesses by ensuring computers, data and network are kept safe and secure as well as digital marketing strategies through technology. A recent conversation with Manager Partner Eric Jackson about the company’s growth brought about today’s conversation. And it’s one other biz leaders can benefit from as well.
The company was growing and had reached its twelfth year. Eric shares how, when they brought on a new employee, an inconsistency emerged in how the company was described to customers versus how we functioned internally. The team realized that while they were good at what they did [in products and services]; they were getting sideline by things like structure, role clarity and culture. And those items had to be focused on because they are the intangibles that drive success.
Three critical steps to our growth plan:
- Define and craft our identity in our culture, role clarity and connections across the company. The Keystone team utilized the Traction system created by Gino Wickman.
- Clarified consistency within the company by bridging the different functions of the company. For example, the IT functions operate very differently from the marketing team. Helping each employee understands his/her fit within the total organization.
- Create a measuring stick to ensure not just goals but the right goal are being met. And if not, creating process improvement tools to create the alignment to get the team back on track.
Immediate steps any leader can take to begin this journey in his/her business:
- Learn how your team interacts best with each other. Eric’s team used the DiSC profile. This tool is any easy way to help the team become more efficient and effective in its communication with each other.
- Don’t be afraid to seek outside help. Pay for it! (You cannot do it all)
- Create dashboards to ensure every member of the team feels connected to what is happening in the business each week (celebrate & challenge).
- Read. Learn from other businesses through blogs, podcasts and books. Your next idea or solution is one article away.
- Join a peer group. No one understand the demands of a business leader better than other business leaders. Get plugged in to some type of network or peer group to keep you moving forward.
Learn more about Keystone at www.wearekeystone.com or connect with Eric at EJackson@wearekeystone.com.
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