Don't Wait to Get Help For Your Business, There's Too Much At Stake
I was having a conversation with a colleague about an article I wrote about leadership coaching and consulting. She commented that my tone could dissuade some business leaders from jumping in as a client for coaching or consulting because the process to get the ROI would be too long. It was a fascinating conversation, and here is where we landed.
Don’t wait. If you need help from a coach or consultant for your business, do it. There’s too much at stake if you don’t – especially now – because you just launched your business plan a few weeks ago as you kicked off the new fiscal year. What you do in the first few months to execute your annual business plan will either have you feeling good for the following three quarters, or super stressed out. And, to be candid, I know many business leaders who feel “okay” (at best) about their business plan. They feel lukewarm about it because (1) They didn’t hit their business targets last month as they closed out 2021; (2) And, secondly, not much feels that different comparing last year’s business plan to this year. Even though the leadership team met in a planning room the first week of January to map-out a strategy for this year, there aren’t a whole lot of changes to this year’s plan to address last year’s headaches; and those headaches feel like they could grow into migraines this year. It’s the same story: Having a hard time attracting top talent, poor engagement scores, feeling ill-prepared to lead through a more virtual business model, and navigating an evolving story of the Great Resignation. To be clear, I’m not saying any of this in a judgmental way. I’m not saying, “common friends, it’s the same story…why aren’t you doing something different? Why aren’t you doing something better for your business in 2022?” Rather I’m questioning with a lot of empathy and understanding. Business right now is tough. It’s tough for the top leadership: 1 out of 4 executives feel super ill-equipped to navigate the Great Resignation. [1] It’s tough for the employee too: “Workers are tired and frustrated. They’re realizing time is their greatest and scarcest asset, and they want to make the most of it. So, they’re reassessing why they work—and quitting to find what truly drives them.” And, to be even more candid and direct (and still empathizing), some companies are feeling even worse than what I just described. Some businesses don’t even have a plan. In fact, only 1 in 2 companies have a business strategy.[2] Yes, that’s the hard data: 50% of businesses are just going through the motions to keep the basic blocking and tackling in their company. But, there’s help. There are a lot of coaches and consultants who want to jump in and provide value, quickly. There are a lot of teams that can parachute in and help with looking at your 2022 business goals, looking at what you want to achieve at the end of this year, and putting everything in-between on the operating table for a deep-dive analysis.
The in-between? What is it? It’s looking deep at your leadership. Who are the key leaders around you, what are their strengths and weaknesses? How are they wired to lean-in with one of four directions towards high-level strategies: (1) Innovation and agility; (2) Results and discipline; (3) Process and precision; or (4) Teamwork and the employee experience? And it’s not just the leaders – but it’s their supporting team as well. How are they wired, what are their gaps? And, as important, what are their views on what’s most important for the business team right now in regards to the leader? What are their thoughts and insights around key strategies, the four aforementioned strategies? Do the views of the direct reports align with their key leader? Do their perceived strategies align with the executive leadership team? Lastly, what are the key strategies that the executive leadership team has? Are they clear? Are they being communicated to their senior manager, and the direct reports that flow down in a vertical fashion – and horizontally throughout the organization? Yes, unequivocally, a coach or consultant team can come in and immediately (within 90-days, within a quarter) and not only assess the overall situation, but give some super practical steps to execute with forward momentum as you execute your 2022 business plan.
Now, out of the other side of my mouth – and back to my previous article: It takes time, investment, and guts. It takes all of that proactivity to help you get things rolling. It takes, candidly, extreme intentionality to bring in a consultant/coaching team that is going to help you do a serious inventory of who your leaders are, who your team is, and understand the business context and your strategies. Can the pay-off be quick? Yes. Within a few months. But in my last article, I expressed the long-term pay-off of my jumping in with a long-term investment towards coaching and consulting. How can I say two things that seem so opposing? How can I say, now, in this article, that the pay-off to getting coaching/consulting can be quick? And, as expressed in my last article, it takes a long-term investment with coaching/consulting to turn things around in a big way?
For the short-term, I just walked through with a decent amount of detail “why” you should do something now. Like, now now.
Let me paint a picture of the “long-term” play in a few sentences. It’s October of 2023. You have a plethora of candidates interviewing for a few choice positions within your company. As they are interviewing, and you come across them in the hallway, they ask you – the top leader – why should I work here? What is different, and great, about working here than somewhere else? You, the top leader, answer them by sharing your mission statement, your vision statement, the high-level strategy for the company – and, most importantly, the values/virtues that your company represents. Then, you charge them (challenge them) to go throughout the remaining interview process with your personal direct reports and tee-up, “Ask those that are interviewing you what they like about working here? You interview them back, and inquire what is great about this place? What are we about? What matters most?” The hope, after having a coaching and consulting guide (and, truly, that YOU, the key leader, had the guts to dig-in with EXTREME intentionality to uncover all of the strengths, weaknesses, and hidden landmines for your business and strategies), your potential hires will come back and say, “I’ve gotta work here. Your people love this place. They believe in what they are doing. They are not only for growing the business, but this place is for growing me. AND, most important, this place is on mission to transform their current and future customers. I’m in. I’m all in.”
My previous boss, one of the ELT and founding members at one of the largest churches in America, used to say to me all the time, “Doug, it’s both / and.” This principle is no different. It’s “both / and.” Is there a short and long-term pay-off to bringing an A-team coaching/consulting team to help your organization? Yes. You will get on point to hit your 2022 operational goals. Is there a long-term pay-off to the organization by bringing an A-team coaching/consulting team to help your organization? Yes. It’s both / and.
Don’t wait. For what can happen in a quarter or so for 2022; and for what can happen for your team's legacy for years to come.
Lastly, and with all sincerity, this is not about selling RethinkWork. Honestly, there are too many great (level-five, Jim Collins, great) coaching teams that can help you and your business be the best that they can be.