“Thinking is the hardest work there is, that’s why so few people do it.”
- Henry Ford
t Vision To Action we believe that how you think about your business (or don’t) will shape what you actually do. All too often, strategic thinking and planning falls into the “too hard basket” or it takes second place to frenetic or disjointed action. This may work for a while but eventually the neglect will take its toll…in one way or another.
Perhaps it will manifest itself in poor customer satisfaction or employee dissatisfaction and difficulties in retaining either. Perhaps it will be evident in convoluted or inefficient business practices, waste and excessive costs. Whatever the symptom is, the outcome is likely to include unwarranted expenses and disappointing or below potential revenues. Most business owners or managers will quickly figure out that without cash-flow and profit there isn’t much of a business. They also might figure out that the stress they are experiencing is costing them their own job satisfaction and motivation.
Like anything in life, problems don’t go away just because you ignore them. They get worse. Reacting to problems or opportunities without due consideration is not a wise strategy either. Psychologically, it is uncomfortable to stay with uncertainty or to resist what seems obvious, but if we don’t pay attention to how we think we may create more problems with our actions.
At Vision to Action, we believe in the necessity and possibility of breaking these cycles. Our philosophy is based on some core principles which we hold to be true in all situations:
1. We encourage our clients to stay with their problems or resist spontaneous solutions until the thinking about them is clear, logical and justified. Einstein claimed that his genius came from the fact that he stayed with problems longer. Staying with problems longer does not necessarily mean it will take longer to come to a good solution; it may in fact reduce the need for trial and error. A comprehensive and rigorous approach to understanding a problem or opportunity can generate insights which, in all likelihood will improve the quality and sustainability of the action taken.
2. We advocate achieving control of the business before trying to challenge and change it. Stability is a better launch pad for change than chaos.
3. We subscribe to a ‘wellness’ model of organization development rather than an ‘illness’ model. We focus on the core competencies of the business and trust in the inherent wisdom and potential of its employees to learn, grow and succeed… even in the most confused or dysfunctional states.
4. We believe in win/win more than we believe in win/lose. It’s more sophisticated and certainly more sustainable. We work with our clients to create solutions based on an “abundance mentality”, where everyone has the possibility of gaining.
5. We believe in leveraging the benefits of community because it is the natural order of life – human beings are inherently social creatures. Few people could argue with the power of word-of-mouth marketing or the potential for using social media.
6. We view organizations as systems of interconnected parts. You cannot make a change in one part of the system (e.g. your marketing) and not expect it to have an impact on another (e.g. your employees). Businesses must be viewed holistically.
7. We understand the importance of language. It makes sense to get the language right; being able to conceptualize and articulate your business philosophy and model may be what separates you from your competition.
