Why Radical Change Requires Radical StabilityTUESDAY, OCTOBER 7TH, 2008
What’s your business been like this year? Has it been a steady growth pattern, a surging, pulsating ride that has you gasping to catch up? Perhaps it’s been a steady decline or a roller coaster ride like our recent stock market, presently careening toward an unknown depth that could bring your business close to extinction?
Times of change require stability. Time of radical change require radical stability. Does that make sense?
Think about the challenges in your life. When you’ve had these what helped you through them? It could have been the loss or death of a loved one. Severe financial problems, a fire, storm, personal, friend or relatives illness, a setback at work or job loss. When these challenges arose what did you do? Who did you look to for support and encouragement? Chances are you confided or met with a family member or relative, a good friend you knew you could count on. You may have turned to your church or a clergy member.
In times of radical change or instability we invariably rely on those people and institutions we can trust. Perhaps that’s why this present economic crisis is so debilitating. The institutions we felt we could rely on have failed us miserably. Confidence has been eroded to the point where many people have lost faith in the country and its industry particularly due to the financial institutions that we rely on for financial credibility.
In your business this is the time if you have not already done so to implement some essential tools that provide stability. In our Rockefeller Habits workshops and coaching tools we discuss meeting rhythms. Most business owners are averse to looking at having more meetings. “I’ve got enough meetings already. I’m not accomplishing anything in the ones I have let alone adding more!” they’re quick to respond.
The trouble here is not just the meeting agenda and probable lack of preparation; it’s the lack of respect for the value of meetings to provide communication and stability to your staff and the business.
Don’t have a meeting unless it has a purpose. Does a daily meeting seem like too frequent a meeting pattern? It is if the meeting isn’t precise, on target and offers value to the participants.
Daily Huddles as provided in Verne Harnish’s Mastering the Rockefeller Habits, and Pat Lencioni’s Death By Meeting cover these quick topics with everyone in the department or company contributing what their priorities are, where their stuck and the relevant numbers for their performance either individually or by department. They’re wrapped up in 15 minutes or less! In the course of about one hour even a large business can be completely updated and aware of issues and opportunities by simply taking this habit seriously.
Are you in a business that is undergoing radical change? Consider having two daily huddles, one in the morning and one in the evening. That provides radical stability. Goldman Sachs does exactly that, and based on the market we’ve seen the past few days do you think they have much to discuss and get aligned with? Is two meetings even enough right now?
In times of change and uncertainty, stability in any form is a welcome feeling for your staff. Bonds can be solidified in the precarious unexpected waves that a business rolls through. Often times the biggest obstacle with relationships is the opportunity to mend is never presented. Two employees at loggerheads can remain distant because they are never required to get together.
If your business is uncertain, if you are functioning in a fluctuating work environment either positively or negatively, begin the habit of holding daily, weekly and monthly meetings with a specific agenda as offered in Verne Harnish’s Mastering the Rockefeller Habits, or Pat Lencioni’s Death By Meeting. The routine and stability will offer tremendous relief and unconscious associations that will help bring your staff together and engineer you toward the calm that can steer you through any storm.
Need help implementing these ideas?
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