Getting from here to there safely: the path to transforming your business can feel like a daunting journey. The trail is riddled with potholes, whether you’re a healthy company trying to get to that next level, or a business that is stuck, and can’t seem to get past where they are today. The challenge is real, regardless of where you start from.
Whether you’re a printer, a mailer, or assigned company, chances are there are market opportunities that you haven’t fully explored. And while your results may be satisfactory, you’ve likely hit that growth ceiling, that ceiling of complexity – where things just feel stagnant, no matter what you try, no matter what you do, nothing seems to change. I see this all the time. In my experience helping companies transform their business, I look at three levers that the leadership team can pull to make the trip safely. I refer to them as the Three P’s: People, Plan and Perseverance.
People
This is the core of your business. Do you have the right people in the right seats, for the right reasons? Or have you been tolerating marginal performance because it feels easier than actually making the change? Remember that saying: you get what you tolerate. Great companies find ways to attract, coach and inspire the people they need to achieve their goals. These things don’t happen by chance, it’s part of their values, their culture. It takes intentional leadership and a willingness to hold the bar quite high, and even then, it’s difficult.
Plan
Is your competitive advantage in the marketplace trying to be all things to all people? Really? If so, you’re probably not making a significant impact on any one sector. A solid plan works to identify and leverage your unique abilities in a way that makes a genuine difference in your client’s business. It shows in the way you solve problems; it shows in the passion that you have, and it shows in the way that you execute day and day out. Telling your team to “try harder and do better” isn’t a strategy – it’s noise. Beyond the plan itself, do you make it easy for your customers to say yes? Your clients should answer that with a resounding yes.
Read the rest of this article on Printing Impressions, a publication of PRINTING United Alliance, ASI’s strategic partner.
