For over 10 years since the GFC, companies have been pushing to be constantly lean in their business operations: reducing head count, implementing disruptive technology, adopting offshore work forces or simplifying their business models.
At times this has had a positive impact on profitability or been a necessary strategy to stay competitive in a challenging market.
However, are businesses now too lean in many cases to grow quickly or adapt when required?
As opportunities present themselves in 2019 it may be that many businesses find it very challenging to take on-board too much growth, too quickly as the systems, people and structures are not ready to scale up. Self-sabotaging behaviours often quickly follow.
This challenge is highlighted in the biggest concerns for leaders going into 2019, the fact they are still ‘too busy’, are having challenges implementing strategies and finding it difficult to retain good team members.
In a push for leverage and staying lean, leaders can now be too hands off, disconnected from the day-to-day to see and deal with the real challenges that don’t show up in the myriad of dashboards and metrics available to them.
So how can you as a business leader address these issues?
Strategies could be:
You may need to adjust your lean ways, by being more agile and make some room for growth.
Sean ‘Go For Growth’ Martyn
PS: Whenever you’re ready . . . here are 4 ways we can help you grow your business: