long term Strategy

“From my experience, the best advisors help in three ways: encourage you to look at the problem or opportunity from multiple angles; help you balance the tug of the short-term with important long-term priorities; and ask the tough questions you need to know to reach the best solution”.
Margo Georgiadis

When we get really busy and don’t seem to have enough time to get everything done, we tend to focus on the “here and now” and what needs to be done now to get things out the door. Some work late, some cut corners, some overlook inefficiencies in favour of delivery speed, most take the work on themselves just to get it out the door… I’ve seen cases where all of these have happened.
 
Although necessary, how is it contributing to building a more efficient and effective business in the longer term. How is it creating opportunities to allow those in more senior positions to spend more time building the business? How long can this strategic plan continue before the business results are impacted?  
 
Taking these actions shows our effectiveness to manage expectations. Proactive conversations up front set timelines that will allow both the successful delivery of the activity and have the long-term opportunity also included. For example, delegating a task to someone for the first time will take extra time. Setting the expected delivery time to factor this in allows the skills transfer needed for this person going forward… that’s Win Win in my book.
 
So how do you achieve this in your role or business? Here are some tips that can help deliver long term benefits:
 

  • When “is” the right time – there never seems to be a best time to consider mixing things up. “If nothing changes, nothing changes” then comes in to play and we find the process gets put off until next time. Make the decision, create the opportunity to include others where possible and make it happen

  • Always be thinking long term – taking this view will bring results. Including another person in a client visit, someone who will ultimately be dealing with the client going forward, will let them take over and free you up to spend more time building the business.

  • Always ask the question – who could be doing this? Automatically doing is one way to get things out the door. Before you start, check in to see if there is someone else who can take on the activity. Is there an opportunity to pump up their tyres and show your belief in them? This can be a powerful recognition tool for your team members. 

 
Consistently thinking of how to build the capabilities and skills of the team will empower them, show them that you care about developing their skills, create an environment where delegation is considered positive and deliver more strategic time for those running the business.

Consider where your focus is and how the above tips can help you in the coming months. Please forward to those who will benefit from our ongoing tips and get in contact if you need to reset your current strategy.

Have an awesome week !

Cheers
Paul Farmer
Managing Director
http://www.mentorisgroup.com.au