In the workplace, whether it’s a cog in the machine of a traditional corporate business or as the founder of a disruptive new start up, with a unique product, a lean team and a fanatical commitment to getting it to the marketplace and scaling out, the only important measure is success.
Can you successfully find your customers, whether they’re high street browsers, online consumers or other businesses who need your particular products and services? Can you provide what they need at a sustainable cost for you and an attractive price for them? Can you keep doing that every day without burning out or burning out the people you employ to get it done?
That’s what success looks like in the world of business: it’s not being feted and lauded it’s not speaking at conferences, it’s finding a balance between what people want and how much getting it to them costs and doing that every day for as long as possible. Everything flows from that balance, and while some of that ‘everything else’ is the trappings of success, it’s not success itself.
Today we’re looking at some of the ingredients that go into that success so you can start to make your plans for a successful business.
Data Driven Decisions
Any managerial role comes down to decision making, and being able to account for those decisions when you’re standing in front of your superiors, be they other managers, your investors, or simply your employees.
Making sure your decision making process is driven by data means you’ll find it easier to defend thr outcomes whether they are good or bad. Gathering data is a specialism so working with a market research agency is a good idea. Discover how here.
Confidence
As a leader and decision maker you need to display confidence in your choices and the direction of the company. However much agonising may have privately gone into your decision making, it’s unfair to expect other people to throw their weight behind your choices if you’re not visibly able to believe in them.
If you’re asking people to do things you’re personally unhappy with, you may have to reconsider your leadership style, and consider the third ingredient for success
Reflection and Listening
Every leader needs the capacity for self reflection, and the ability to listen to feedback and even criticism without feeling it as a personal attack. It’s the only way to learn, and it’s a fine example to demonstrate to your employees. If you feel every criticism of a business decision as an attack, you’ll spend all your time on the defensive and be unable to dispassionately assess whether you’ve actually made the right choice. This could lead to a collapse in morale and the loss of staff who are key to your success.
Learn to listen and to see the impact of the actions you’ve taken and the decisions you’ve made. That’s how you can reach the heights of success at work!
