Being in a leadership role in an organisation, whether small or large, is demanding. Faced with these demands it is easy to lose sight of the bigger picture and what is key to achieving long term organisational success.
So what in my experience are the keys to achieving long term organisational success?
Key 1: Clarity Of Direction
You need to be clear about where you are heading. While you will need to be flexible from time to time, it is important to keep focus on the end game.
Key 2: Products Or Services Someone Wants To Buy
Ultimately, unless you have sufficient demand for what you offer, you can never achieve long-term success.
Key 3: The Ability To Market What You Have To Offer
There is little use in having a product or service that is world-class but the best kept secret.
Key 4: The Ability To Convert Interested Parties Into Buyers
A lot of interest in what you have to offer is great but the real acid test is whether you can convert the interested into buyers.
Key 5: Good Back Office Processes
Some businesses do a great job at making the sale but struggle with delivering the product or service because they don’t pay enough attention to the back office stuff.
Key 6: A Range Of Products And Services
Successful organisations know that products and services have a period when they are at their peak so spread the risk by having products and services at different stages in the life cycle.
Key 7: Employees Who Are Engaged
A lack of engagement hurts organisations in terms of productivity, sales, customer satisfaction and profits.
Key 8: People Who Can Do The Job Well
Successful organisations have people who are appropriately skilled and developed to do the job to the highest standard.
Key 9: A Willingness To Innovate
People have a thirst for new things or things that improve what is already on offer and good organisations respond to this demand through innovating.
Key 10: A Willingness To Take Balanced Risks
No organisation can get beyond a certain point without taking some sort of risk.
The Bottom Line:
In a fast moving world where there is a demand for instant results it is easy to lose sight of the key things that contribute to organisational success. I wonder what else you would add to the list?
Duncan Brodie of Goals and Achievements helps professional people become great leaders and managers. Sign up for his free audio e-course Leadership Success at www.goalsandachievements.co.uk.
