Skip to main content

Tag: business growth system

Elite Business: New era for employer-employee dynamics

Elite Business: New era for employer-employee dynamics

Written by Lindokuhle Ntombela on . Posted in Asset of Value, Creating time, Innovation, Insights, Leadership, Mindset.

In this article, originally featured in Elite Business: Structure Determines Behaviour,” new employment legislation presents an opportunity to reshape our approach to finding, training, and retaining talent.

In response to the Labour budget, I recently facilitated a roundtable engagement with angry business owners. The deeply furrowed brows of concerned senior leaders concluded with a paradigm shift that opened new growth pathways.

WATCH more on this here

The recent UK budget and tightened employment laws may feel like an attack on business, but they also present an opportunity to redefine how we structure our organisations. The post-COVID remote work and the post-Brexit skills crisis have stretched and reshaped the traditional employer-employee compact. This could be the perfect moment to rethink and rebuild for businesses looking to thrive.

The value exchange in employment

At its core, the employer-employee relationship is a value exchange. A business pays a salary or bonus to derive measurable value from the employee’s work. Yet, many organisations need to quantify this exchange effectively, leaving them vulnerable to inefficiencies and misaligned expectations. If we can measure the value of tangible assets like machinery, why not apply the same principle to our people?

Consider the machine in a cheese-slicing business. The machine’s performance is precisely measurable: slicing 528 monthly blocks under optimal conditions. The operator’s role, which includes setting up, running, and maintaining the machine, can also be broken into measurable activities. This clarity in defining measurable tasks allows for more effective recruitment, value exchange and performance management. Each party knows what’s expected of them!

This same approach can—and should—be applied to every role in your business. It’s even more necessary in a services business where the assets (your people) walk out the door every evening. By viewing roles as systems comprising sequential, measurable activities, you unlock opportunities to improve recruitment, streamline performance management, and ultimately increase your return on employment.

Systems thinking for a changing workforce

The escalating costs and risks of employment demand a new way of thinking. Systematising work not only improves clarity but also highlights activities that can be digitised or automated. This frees employees from mundane tasks to give their time and attention to more interesting work. It also allows leaders to focus on core, strategic areas as they lighten their management load through effective, sticky delegation, which also helps reduce fixed costs.

This method addresses immediate challenges and builds resilience. Systematic roles and processes simplify delegation, training, and scaling. Far from constraining employees, it gives them freedom within a framework to fully express their potential in a role. As employment laws become stricter and employment costs rise, this structured approach offers sustainability, cost management, productivity gains, and resilience.

Engineering for the future

The Labour government’s changes may feel like a setback, but they invite us to rethink how we structure work. Redefining roles into systems will improve your recruitment success, employee tenure, and productivity and open pathways to digitisation, automation, and outsourcing. In this, a more agile business can be built, and without compromising customer experiences, a less cumbersome salary bill will help lighten the load of senior leaders to focus on what counts – growth.

When structure determines behaviour, thoughtful engineering of your business systems and roles can turn the challenge presented by Labour into opportunities.

Embracing Imposter Syndrome: A Key to Business Growth

Written by Lindokuhle Ntombela on . Posted in Leadership, Mindset, Scale & Grow, Succession.

As a business leader, you’re often expected to have every answer at your fingertips. Whether leading a senior team strategy session, onboarding new suppliers, or fielding questions from customers, the expectation is clear: you should know it all. However, this expectation is neither practical nor sustainable, and many leaders grapple with imposter syndrome as a result.

Understanding Imposter Syndrome in Leadership

Imposter syndrome for business leaders tends to surface during periods of growth, particularly at a point often called the “ceiling of complexity.” This is the stage where tried-and-true strategies no longer yield growth, and you’re tasked with guiding the organization to the next level. It’s natural to feel as though you don’t have all the answers. In fact, the habits, practices, and mindsets that carried you to this point can often become limiting.

Why Imposter Syndrome Isn’t a Weakness

Imposter syndrome might feel like a weakness, but it’s actually a sign that you’ve reached the limits of your current mindset and practices. The feeling of inadequacy often arises because much of a leader’s methods have become second nature and are, therefore, difficult to analyze or change. Embracing these doubts can be the first step toward identifying new paths for growth.

Overcoming the Imposter Mindset by Seeking New Perspectives

To overcome imposter syndrome, it’s essential to recognize that your limitations aren’t a reflection of your worth but simply the natural boundaries of your current skill set. Being open to feedback and new ideas, both within your team and from outside mentors or industry networks, can illuminate new paths forward. Engaging openly with others without fear of judgment allows you to remain a capable leader while exploring new strategies to lead confidently.

Embracing Vulnerability for Growth

The path to overcoming imposter syndrome is through vulnerability. Ask yourself and others, “What needs to change to reach the next level?” By allowing vulnerability, you foster an environment where learning and growth become priorities, not just for you but for your entire team. Opening up to these questions enables growth and can keep the journey exciting and filled with fresh learning opportunities.

Imposter Syndrome as a Growth Catalyst

Ultimately, imposter syndrome isn’t a roadblock; it’s a signal. It’s an indication that you’re ready to step beyond your current limits. As you expand your skills and adapt to new challenges, your business will naturally grow alongside you.

Imposter syndrome, rather than being an obstacle, can be an invitation to grow and evolve as a leader, pushing your business to new heights. Embrace it and use it as a springboard for continuous improvement, both personally and professionally.

Click here to watch

The Power of Purpose: Why Every Business Needs It

The Power of Purpose: Why Every Business Needs It

Written by Lindokuhle Ntombela on . Posted in Asset of Value, Innovation, Lead generation and conversion, Mindset, Positioning, Scale & Grow, Team.

The Power of Purpose: Why Every Business Needs It

In today’s ever-changing business landscape, purpose has become a buzzword—so much so that it has lost much of its meaning. But if you strip away the trendy jargon, what remains is a simple yet profound question every business must answer: Why does your business exist? And more importantly, what right does it have to exist?

For many entrepreneurs, the initial reasons behind starting a business vary. Some may say they began their venture to create financial security for themselves, while others might boast about having exceptional products or deep loyalty to their employees, particularly in family-run businesses. Yet, when faced with the hard question of why their business truly exists, these answers often fall short.

Why Purpose Matters

At its core, purpose is more than a personal goal or a well-designed product. Purpose is about solving a problem for your customers and creating a meaningful experience for them in the process. This is the key reason any business exists—because customers are seeking solutions to their problems. Whether they’re buying a high-performance sports car or employing a cleaning service, they are ultimately paying for a solution, not just a product.

Take, for instance, a business that sells luxury cars like Maserati’s and Ferraris. On the surface, it may seem like their customers are simply indulging in a “fancy.” However, upon closer inspection, these cars are often seen as alternative assets that appreciate over time—thus solving the problem of finding valuable investments. The purchase is less about luxury and more about smart financial planning.

The Experience Factor

Besides solving a problem, the other key factor driving a business’s existence is the experience it offers. A great customer experience can turn a one-time buyer into a loyal client. This applies across industries, from the sale of sports cars to more mundane services like cleaning companies or real estate agencies.

Consider a disaster recovery cleaning business. Initially, their purpose was clear: they helped companies recover from floods, fires, and chemical spills. But after reaching a certain level of growth, they found themselves stuck, struggling to differentiate from other cleaning companies offering similar services. What they discovered was that their true purpose lay in providing an exceptional experience for their clients—particularly those in the food industry, where contamination prevention is critical. By narrowing their focus and creating an impactful experience, they reinvigorated their growth.

How to Use Purpose

Once you’ve identified your business’s purpose, the next step is knowing how to use it. Purpose should be at the heart of every communication you send out. It informs your marketing, your team’s motivation, and how you engage with customers. When people understand that you are solving a specific problem and creating an experience around that solution, they will see your business as purposeful, not just another company trying to make a sale.

Purpose also resonates at a human level. When your employees understand the broader impact of their work, they feel more motivated and aligned with the company’s goals. For example, the disaster recovery company that shifted its focus to preventing contaminated food in laboratories saw a remarkable change in employee engagement. Workers understood that their efforts went beyond cleaning—they were actively protecting public health. This sense of purpose helped the company grow and unify its team.

Elite Business: Optimising business decisions: The power of focused strategy

Elite Business: Optimising business decisions: The power of focused strategy

Written by Lindokuhle Ntombela on . Posted in Asset of Value, Creating time, Innovation, Insights, Mindset, Positioning, Team, Trends.

In this article, originally featured in Elite Business: Maximise your time and attention with a framework that simplifies the complexity and noise of day-to day- business

Recently, I had the privilege of addressing a substantial audience of around 680 individuals, comprising government officials, corporate executives, private business owners, and numerous employees. The topic I presented, which resonated with many, revolved around an idea first introduced in 1956 by George Miller: the magical number seven. Miller proposed that our short-term memory can handle seven items, give or take two. Some can manage five, while others can juggle nine.

This concept made me ponder the complexities faced by business owners today. With the growing uncertainties in technology, employment, supply chains, and politics, decision-making has become increasingly challenging. The key to navigating these complexities lies in avoiding cognitive overload—an impediment caused by an excess of information that hinders clear decision-making.

The M.O.S.T. Framework for Effective Business Strategy

The essence of my talk focused on maximizing time and attention through the M.O.S.T.E framework, which stands for Mindset, Objective, Strategy, Tactics and of course, Execution. Here’s a breakdown:

Mindset 

A winning mindset is crucial. This goes beyond merely having a growth mindset; it’s about maintaining a vision that transcends the current moment. Such a mindset equips you to tackle present challenges with an eye on future success.

Objective

The power of one objective cannot be overstated. Studies indicate that having more than one primary objective can reduce your intellectual capacity by 38%. In business, this objective should focus on increasing your asset value. This singular focus ensures clarity and enhances productivity.

Strategy 

Your strategy should be singular and concentrated on building your business into a valuable asset. A successful strategy encompasses three main attributes:

  • Income Generation: Ensure your business consistently generates revenue.
  • Capital Value Improvement: Continuously work on increasing the value of your business.
  • Tradability: Develop your business to be an asset that can be sold or traded independently of your direct involvement.

Tactics 

Developing effective tactics is the next step. Here are five essential tactics to consider:

  • Positioning: Stand out from competitors by focusing on whom you serve and how you serve them uniquely.
  • System of Delivery: Develop systems that are teachable and trainable, allowing your team to manage operations efficiently.
  • Purposeful Team: Assemble a team capable of running these systems, freeing you to focus on growth.
  • Growth: Constant growth is vital. It attracts the right team members, customers, and maintains supplier enthusiasm.
  • Value: Always concentrate on transforming your business into an asset, ensuring it’s not merely a complex job but a thriving enterprise.

Execution

This is where all great efforts live or die. Too often we find ourselves stuck in the daily, weekly, monthly operational grind needed to sustain our businesses. Adopting an approach to get you our of the engine room and onto the bridge of your ship by way of an analogy, places you in a position to lead execution.

By adhering to these principles, you can simplify decision-making processes, enhance business efficiency, and ultimately build a more robust, valuable enterprise. I hope these insights prove beneficial. Until next week, cut out the noise of competing narratives around our politics, inflation, Brexit, national service, climate change and so on, to focus on what you can control and build.