Friday, March 14, 2014

Business/Organization Success: The Keys

In the seminar “The Three Keys to a Successful Business” we cover some critical components. They make the difference between optimal success and an “okay” business, or even more impacting, surviving or not surviving. Of course, these keys are not limited to business, but apply to any organization. In fact, they are helpful in normal, everyday, life.

Let me just share the model and the most important part, the foundation. We will talk about what the pillars represent in later issues.

The model looks like this:




The important foundation to all success is the willingness to learn. Business after business has declined or failed because leadership did not pay attention. For a long time the American automobile industry leaders ignored warnings and recommendations of people like W. Edwards (Bill) Deming, and the threat of foreign automobiles to the American market. However, the Japanese were willing to listen to Deming, and to learn. The results were almost devastating to American manufacturing.

On the other side of that coin, when Microsoft inundated the world with their brand of computers and operating systems, Apple came up with several innovations that not only kept them in the game, but actually elevated the company. They became very creative. They paid attention and were willing to learn.

The moral: Pay attention and be ready to change as needed, and when you think you know it all; you don’t.