On the surface, when things go wrong in your business (and life), the improvement strategy referred to as “back to basics” seems logical and viable. We’ve all heard people say something to the effect of, “Things are bad. We need to fix this and go back to the basics…”
Opinion
Surely, going back to the “basic” tenets and non-negotiable guiding principles of all businesses such as honesty, integrity, work ethic, punctuality, quick response time, etc., of course all have validity. There’s no denying that. Conversely, repeating over and over again those unsuccessful patterns of having an unproductive operating style, no discernible management culture, irrelevant marketing positions, a low level of esprit de corp, ineffective sales approaches and irrelevant financial practices that may have contributed to the problematic existing state of affairs makes going “back to basics” a foolhardy program.
Success is all about balance.
When going back to the roots of a business in hopes of fixing an ailing or slumping enterprise, it is critical to analyze every functional area of the business and take stock of what is important and what is not… as well as what is working and what is not. An under-performing company’s needs to diligently revisit and review its “perceived” assets, as well as deficits and give itself a totally honest report card. An honest look into the mirror, especially in times of change and challenge, is vital.
Logically, when a company (or career) is ailing or even worse, failing, pushing back to the way things have always been done is typically a devastatingly bad remedy and a bad idea. After all, it’s very likely that the reason an enterprise is in the jam it’s in is because of the way it has been operating and its history. “Back to basics,” then, could prove even more destructive. It’s possible that those specific business “basics” were the causes for the organization’s current challenges.
The solution is simple. Keep those behaviors that work and trash those behaviors (basics) that no longer work. Things change and change rapidly. Henry Ford wrote, “Change is to business what oxygen is to life.”
When going back to the basics of “WHAT” we do, such as providing high-quality products and service or being obsessive about customer satisfaction should never be challenged and never be changed, it’s the “HOW” we do things that can (and should) change. In fact, the “how” we do things should naturally evolve with changes in the economy, technology, demographic shifts and more. Again, don’t alter your “what.” Focus on the new, improved and more relevant “how” of your business.
Typical examples of the “what” follow. They are your foundation. They are your non-negotiable “basics.” They represent your guidng principles and business culture.
- Sell solutions, not just products.
- Offer customers something unique and special.
- Provide customers easy to understand value.
- The customer is the very reason we’re in business.
- Readily receive customer feedback.
- Openly embrace employee input and ideas.
- Dedicate yourself to continuous improvement.
Some examples of the “how” follow.
- Enter into a co-branding or collaborative alliance.
- Compromise your payment terms.
- Alter your shipping minimums.
- Move direct selling to independent representatives.
- Require regional managers to work out of home offices.
- Dramatically reduce trade show participation.
- Minimize philanthropic contributions.
Again, the “what” of an organization is a constant… never to be tinkered with or compromised. The “how” of an organization can change over and over as needed.
Every so often in business, a new word or phrase arises that becomes part of our business vocabulary. Examples are terms like “proactive,” or “empowerment” or “multi-tasking.” Over the years, one of the more popular words has been “paradigm.” In short, a paradigm is a standard, a model, an established way of operating or viewing things or in more colloquial language, a paradigm defines the way we’ve always done something. If you ask someone why they do things in a certain way and their answer is “This is the way we’ve always done it.” They very well could be paralyzed by their paradigms.
If things are not going well, review your paradigms and consider inventing new models. Unsatisfactory performance, encountering unpleasant business surprises, new competitive threats, uncovering inefficiencies and dealing with new challenges might require you to abandon your paradigm paralysis and become a paradigm pioneer.
Define a new set of “basics.” Only “go back to the basics” when they represent the “what” of your business essence and guiding principles. Making changes on “how” you operate very well can become your new basics.
Confucius said, “When it’s obvious the goals cannot be reached, don’t adjust the goals, adjust the action.”
Ira Blumenthal is a business consultant, a Georgia resident, a best-selling author, a globally renowned public speaker, a university educator and a college Lacrosse coach. Ira welcomes inquiries and can be reached at Ira@Iraspeak.com. His web site is www.IraSpeak.com
