It's tough enjoying the scenic boat trip when you have to bail the boat to survive!

Monday, January 17, 2011.

Designing a Business that works

I often write you about designing your business to succeed and give you many real life examples of people and organizations who do. Your design should begin with your aspirations for the business.  Instead, many people plan by adding to last year's numbers and goals, and by looking at all the problems of the business and trying to fix them.  This becomes their 'business design'.  This problem-solving mentality leads to temporary solutions but as soon as the pressure is off, we notice that we are back to fixing problems again.  This leads to being about grabbing the flavor of the month solutions that eventually go out of favor and have nothing to do with aspirations.   

Problem solvers are driven by a fear of imaginary, negative circumstances.  Anything that is driven by fear becomes worry, and worry is not constructive and is usually made up in our psychological, emotional heads.  Problem solvers become control freaks.  Measurements, bureaucracies and protocols become more important than actual outcomes desired. 

Everything then becomes about reacting to circumstances.  It's as if people believe they cannot have what they want so no sense trying to create it.  Look how ridiculous we think government is when they act this way.  It's as if no one really thinks.  As my son, Kevin Robert reminds me, at least one third of us will always operate from a fear of imaginary negative circumstances and are more concerned with having everything in order rather than creating what they want.  It's not just governments that think this way.

Eventually, if you never get around to designing the business, career or life around what you want, you could one day feel very shallow and wind up with a mindless existence or business that doesn't work.  We are meaning makers and we respond to what gives us meaning.  You really see that when people are close to retirement.  They start choosing to do things that are important to them with the time they have left.   More time with the grand kids, families, friends, travel, hobbies and their community. 

As my friend Robert Fritz, author, consultant, coach of structural thinking and how to create the business or life you want, says, "Structure gives rise to behavior."  You and your people are acting a certain way in response to the structure you have. You can restructure/design.  This begins with determining what it is you really want.  You have a tremendous opportunity to create a successful business and life.

I know the world is in a bit of chaos.  No one knows where all of it is headed.  Your margins, offering, brand could be challenged.  Customers are tighter with their money and more picky and you might feel you are more fixated on bailing the boat than enjoying the scenery.  You could be thinking, "I wish I could design my business, career or life around what I want versus reacting to problems all the time, but now is not the time."  And you do need to focus on what is important now.

Have you ever seen a movie or TV plot, or seen in real life, divorced parents who are focused on reacting to each other causing a continuation of their miserable lives rather than determining what is important, such as the health and well being of their children?  In movies that are driven by happy endings, the parents figure it all out and finally wind up, even in all their frustration and distress, focused on what they truly want, typically they then put in place all the things, schedules, etc. that could cause everyone to win.

Even in tougher times, I suggest that, while you are reacting to the problems, think from what you want and then put in place all the steps, systems and policies to make it happen.  You have problems, but think from the big picture at the same time.  For example, you can demand more payments from your customers to fix your receivables problem but, while doing so, figure out what customers really want so your offering creates more value and they are more willing to pay.  Be more about what makes your customers lives change as you are about collecting

your payments.  You do want to be a hit in the market don't you?

So my big suggestion for 2011 is:

Let's embrace chaos, a world of not knowing, and focus on what is important to the business, our career and lives and begin to create it. The universe may surprise us.

Who really knows what is possible for our business, career, or life so why not just go for it 2011?

Have a great week!