It is human nature to procrastinate. Without enforcement,
strategies remain exactly that: strategies with no action to back them
up. Avoid the problem: Commit to taking your vision to the world
– along with proof that you’re executing against that vision.
Hold a press briefing. It will kick people into action.
Fortunately, it’s also human nature to perform, especially when you
know the audience will be large.
You’ve heard the adage before – when you come to a wall you’re
not sure you can cross, throw your hat over, then you have no option
but to give every effort you can muster to get over that wall.
Below are more tips on getting clarity and buy-in for your company’s vision:
Vision deliverables.
Articulating
your vision is great, but to see the holes in it, all you have to do is
write it down. Then rework your vision so it can withstand the
slings and arrows.
Help people see the end state.
What
does your vision really mean? From a product perspective?
From a customer perspective when they encounter your brand?
Figure it out – simulate innovation. Build scenarios and answer
databanks. By envisioning where you want to end up, you’ll have
made great strides in charting the course for getting there.
Build a culture of radical ideas.
To
sustain vision for the long term your entire company must live in a
constant state of inventiveness – radical ideas must become so normal
that they’re no longer considered radical. Is your culture
capable of those kinds of ideas? Of inventing the next big
thing? The thing after that?
Don’t throw anything out.
Some ideas
never leave the braintank. But don’t 86 those ideas: some day
soon, the world might be ready for them. It’s not their fault
they’re at the mercy of corporate politics, immature budgets, or
jealous co-workers. Besides, some of them might be the best ideas
you’ve ever had.
Develop your voice.
As your mother
said, Slow down and speak clearly. Attention to words – including
grammar, tone, word choice, argumentation – tells the world that you’re
attentive to other details, too. When you speak (or write) in
plain English, you make yourself heard. You strike a bond with
your audience. You win their trust. Being absolutely clear
in communicating yours ideas often signifies huge change to your
audience.
Change requires two modes:
Blue-sky
mode (“Given a clean slate, what would we do to deliver on our
vision?”) and tuning mode (“Given the hand we’ve been dealt, how should
we proceed?”). Groups get into frustrating situations when people
are in different modes. They blue-sky person thinks the
tuning-mode person is being narrow-minded, and the tuning-mode person
things the blue-sky person is irresponsible. Declare your mode in
advance, and you’ll save yourself a lot of grief.
Fight for what matters most.
The
temptation is to try to change everything at once. To leap from
being the company you are today, to the company you want to be –
overnight. The fact is you can invoke 90% of the necessary change
by simply pressing on a few carefully chosen control points in your
organization. Identify those control points. Fight for
them. Defend them at virtually any cost. And let everything
else roll off.
Abandon valueless tasks.
Given the
new vision and focused priorities, you’ll have a new lens for
evaluating daily tasks. You’re team will have a framework for
determining, “Is what I’m doing right now moving this company closer to
its stated objectives?”
Feed resources to the winners.
The
concept of a meritocracy is often neglected in the modern
business. Just ask Jack Welch, though, and the former CEO of
General Electric will tell you the power of a meritocracy. The
concept is to reward performance rather than tenure and how well people
play office politics. At the end of the day, what were the
results delivered to move the company forward in a meaningful and
dramatic way? Send resources to the people and techniques that
are gaining ground, not the ones blowing smoke.
Bring in fresh blood.
When companies
get into projects that require seismic change, they often focus
exclusively on changing people within the company, some of whom have
been entrenched for years, perhaps decades. This is the wrong
place to start. Evolve the culture by recruiting new people into
it, inculcate them with the right inspiration, and they’ll become the
change agents you need to change the company as a whole. Bringing
in a qualified facilitator for this process is a first step for many
successful companies.
Epic change starts with articulating a vision – but then you
have to deliver on it. One solution, one tactic, one move at a
time. Resist the temptation to start it all alone or have
everyone on board before you pull the trigger. Find the ignition
point of a chain reaction. Then, well, ignite it.
The expected argument, the comfy but tired example, the humble
ad placement are all mainstays of the uninspired business. A
swift and effective strategy for change is to break out of your comfort
zone and do something unexpected. Something that inspires.
Declare a profound vision for your company. Enroll the
stakeholders in a new culture that exudes passion and juice.
Marry that emotion to the pursuit of corporate objectives, evolution
and personal development. Fire-up a guerrilla marketing
campaign. Refresh and rejuvenate your brand. Communicate
your uniqueness. Collaborate with a like-minded partner.
You’d be amazed how much the world pays attention.
Contact us to find out how Quantified Marketing Group can help your restaurant.
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