I was reminded again this week how most businesses grow organically, lopsided and unplanned. It stands to reason that someone with a potential business idea starts small and adds people and premises as their success allows, but ask any business owner today if they were planning their business from scratch, whether they would have the same people doing the same jobs. Most of them will say “no”.
So, if you were going to build a mansion, would the blueprint for a row of terraces do? This is how businesses tend to grow, with bits bolted on, doing their own thing, no real communication strategy, but kind of serving a purpose.
20:20 hindsight is a wonderful thing and we can all be so smart after the event. The key now is making the best of what’s there; the people, the skills, the creativity as well as the space and resources.
Bigger companies have painful and traumatic restructuring exercises, shedding people and expertise along the way to serve a new vision. Few have the money or time to do such a thing in the SME world, but it doesn’t take radical overhauls to make a difference to the sense of purpose, vision and effectiveness in a team.
As workers, most of us are remarkably resilient. We can be productive and committed if we know our contribution is valuable, and we can really up our game when the pressure is on. It just takes good management, excellent communication and a constant eye on reality.
Check out my Top Tips for motivating your team and for managing under pressure for some useful ideas.