Ready to move from challenge to action? Ensure your success with this short read: The most critical lesson learnt from dozens of “business Sprints” we ran at Growthanomics.
Everybody talks about gaining true clarity like they talk about going to the gym. It’s something everybody knows they should do. However, not as many take action, just like most people don’t rise an hour early to go for a run. However, those who do – stand tall above the rest. Both with a deep sense of accomplishment and a physical outcome that shows.
For most people working in organizations, clarity conjures thoughts about vision, goals, KPIs and the like. But gaining true clarity includes aligning your vision with your state of mind with your belief system and actions.
Only seldom do people or organizations go beyond their clear vision and KPIs into visualizing a real change. Not just in outcomes or actions but also in their state of mind. A state of mind that moves us from: “It would have been nice to exceed our annual recurring revenue” to making it happen.
Why is that so? Because most of us don’t stop and acknowledge our state of mind is preventing us from moving forward. As the great Julius Caesar said: “Men willingly believe what they wish”.
How to identify someone is in “The Loop”?
Understanding management’s state of mind can help organizations gain clarity about additional reasons it is facing a challenge. The reasons other than external factors we point our finger to. Understanding it, is also the essence of what can eventually produce significant and lasting change.
But in order to overcome a challenge one needs to acknowledge that it exists – and as said above who can really look in the mirror and say I am the root cause for this challenge – or shall we dare to say problem?
When working with clients, if I hear the words “the problem is,” “ya but they…” three times in a span of five to ten minutes, I immediately know that there’s an internal issue. The state of mind that is inhibiting the organization from attaining better results. It is also a sign that leadership lacks awareness and denies its.
I call it ‘The Loop.’
Our challenge at Growthanomics is to overcome this barrier, while not necessarily discussing it openly.
An example I encountered was when working with a BI life sciences start up. The management felt frustrated about not growing their customer base in three years. They felt that their problem was their product experience, long sales cycles and their tough competition. When I dug deeper into the sales process, I learned that management believed that only their senior team could sell their products. They backed this up with their “proof”:even when their sales team grew, they still never hit the gong with new customers.
Though a different sales and marketing plan was needed, the chances for success were slim to none if they wouldn’t change their leadership’s state of mind. A greater challenge for me was to generate that change in their mindset without having to state it clearly. (Remember Julius …)
Breaking the Loop
Breaking the loop requires a holistic solution; one that takes into consideration the actions that will help the organization get out of the mud and will also create a change in the leadership’s perception.
As we all know, actions speak louder than words. And that’s why, the holistic solution that I’ll then offer the organization will be action based.
I seek to clarify the cause for this state of mind. And that is what I later align with supporting data about the market and the company’s sales,marketing and retention funnels.
You broke the loop but has mindset changed?
So how do you know if you have a plan that solves both your challenge and your internal problem?
Sure having your vision, goals and KPIs all working together is good.
And when your action plan reflects a change in your processes, in your pace, your attitude towards your customers and in the way you go about building your product, it means your on the right track .
Does your plan reflects all of these and a new way of communicating? It means your words and actions are aligned. Now you can relax about your state of mind. It will follow.
The good news: Changes do happen overnight. The moment we start, we create momentum and then we adjust and fine tune the process.
Putting on a pair of sneakers and gym shorts every day will propel you to exercise and help change your frame of mind. But you may only realize that you’re a runner after you have been doing it for a while. Maybe after a month, maybe after three months. In the same way some businesses don’t notice the great change that has taken place within them. But does it matter? If change has been made, the company has reached substantial growth – and my mission has been accomplished.
Don’t know if you are in ‘The Loop’? Look around and see if your other management team members are. If they are ‘Looping’, chances are you are too.
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