by Guest Blogger – Scott Newman
“More, more, more, give me more” says one! “C’mon, I think you’re sand-bagging, you can do better” says another. Every business in every sector is trying to do more with less, more so now than ever. Whether you’re in top tier consulting, the service or construction sectors, SME or a Government entity, everyone is under pressure. How do you keep pulling the rabbit out of the hat year after year? How can you ensure the relevance of your client proposition in an ever shrinking and competitive landscape, meeting ever increasing governance and compliance requirements, all whilst improving your financial position and without strangling your staff? Is there a point at which the lemon has been squeezed beyond all recognition and your business is no longer sustainable?
This is the first of a three part series covering the WHY, WHAT and HOW of an Organisational Review.
So WHY should you invest in that second set of eyes?
Sometimes you need intervention. An interrupt. There is no need for defence if this is your thinking and in actual fact recognising this fact is great positive. Playing to your strengths and engaging those around you who can play to theirs is one of the hallmarks of an effective leader. Richard Branson springs to mind. There are a myriad of other reasons why you may need some help. Perhaps there is need for fresh ideas in parts of your strategy and operations, you may be constrained by capability or capacity issues due to short term issues such as a relocation or downsizing. What can you make from the learnings from other industries, could they be applied to your business and how? Or you may work in a sector that simply needs assurance regarding your current direction and effectiveness. The list goes on.
A holistic organisation review covers all aspects of your business and can realise great benefits. These vary from sector to sector and often include:
- Improved sales and marketing opportunities
- More effective leadership achieved through role clarity and alignment
- Improved profitability and reduced fixed and variable operating costs following detailed review
- More efficient and effective operations – this might be time to market, service turnaround time, debt reduction, outsourcing, off-shoring. Again, the list is just the beginning…..
- More engaged clients and staff to support them
A constructive business consultant can help you find improvements in every aspect of your operation. The trouble with many consultants these days is that they quite often tell you what you want to hear and not what you need to hear. Somewhat cynically, this is done to preserve their relationship with you and increase their share of your wallet and needless to say, is not overly helpful. Corporate history keeps illustrating that a lack of strategic thinking and failure in executing strategic plans really makes the difference as to whether you’re an industry leader or laggard. That said, the pressure right now is on the cost line, so an advisor needs to have experience and who has squeezed the squeegee several times before.
