What factors affect the agility of a business? Is it the simple case that if you are running a small business, then you are agile?
I don’t believe so, as there are other really critical factors that mean that a larger business can also be agile whereas a smaller business can also be slow and unresponsive.
For example, in order to be agile, a business needs to be able to make decisions rapidly and have an environment where staff are empowered. The culture needs to be one that focusses on the customer as their purpose, rather than the customer as an inconvenience and an interruption and a source of frustration. Believe me when I say that I have experienced senior business leaders speaking about their customers in very negative terms, and bemoaning their approach to suppliers.
Ownership of issues is also a factor that is critical in ensuring your business can be agile or not. Large or small, having simple processes that ensure that the business does not simply rely on people passing emails to each other and responding in a timely fashion, is critical. A customer with a requirement is only interested in a partnership with another organisation able to understand them and an ability to execute.
So in summary the following are necessary to enable your business to operate with agility:
> Customer focus
> Empowerment
> Decision making
> Process – simple and effective.
> Ownership
And an agile business, like a successful sports team, needs a high degree of collaboration and teamwork focus.
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Published by Graham Bunting
I am a highly experienced, energetic, persistent and innovative senior sales professional/sales leader and coach with more than 30 years, of successful sales and leadership experience. I have been successfully developing and managing sales teams and winning new business with and through partner channels in this time. My default approach is one of clarity, support, openness and flexibility.
I am by nature inquisitive and enquiring and wholeheartedly embrace technology that enhances our experiences. Fun is an incredibly important element of work/life for me, so whilst I am deadly serious about the business of business, I do like to work in an environment that is fun to be in.
I am very much a people person and fundamentally believe that it is the people in an organisation that make it a success or otherwise.
I thrive in teams - creating, developing and galvanising individuals into coordinated teams is my forte, and I love a fast-paced dynamic environment too, where great people challenge and ultimately deliver high-quality results for demanding customers.
I am a passionate advocate for the customer, and hold a firm belief that in the customer economy, World-Class performance is "table stakes" if you wish to retain (and grow) the customer base. If we do get it wrong, we say so quickly and act to rectify it swiftly.
I consider myself to be a catalyst – connecting and coordinating people and opportunities. I am a motivator and inspire people to be the best that they can be through coaching and mentoring.
One of my favourite "quotes" is
Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well-preserved body. But rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, with a beer in one hand, shouting "Whoo, what a ride!!"
Views here are 100% my own. https://grahambunting.com/findme/
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Graham Bunting -The Catalyst 