When I joined Aloompa as COO in October 2017, one of our goals was to fundamentally change how the company would operate going forward. We wanted to be more focused on creating innovative products that would scale. We would need to move beyond an agency model approach that was both time and resource-heavy in client production, and into something more nimble and opportunistic. This meant we potentially had to change much of what made Aloompa great in the first place. Risky.
In one of my first meetings with the entire team there at the time, I gave a quick presentation outlining the importance of having a multi-year strategic vision for the company that would be powered by ongoing annual operational plans. A big piece of this puzzle involved getting the team to adjust how they were going to work with each other on a daily basis. For the company’s first ever operational plan, we gave the team a high-level vision of the desired finish line, then asked them to come up with the specific game plan, and to make sure that the individual, departmental and company goals were both clear and aligned by the time the plan was complete. Along with the plan, we created a new company org structure and stressed the importance of true empowerment and accountability.
The five “buzzwords” above were part of my very first presentation in late 2017. And while our first operational plan was far from perfect, the buzzwords helped us put a framework in place for how we would need to think about our journey going forward, and what resources we might need to join us on this journey. Nothing happens overnight, but fortunately, this framework has turned into a solid foundation, and we’re now moving at speeds that were unimaginable just two years ago.
It’s always a significant undertaking to make major adjustments to your business. But, you can’t repeat the past and expect different results in the future. We determined what we needed to change, and what success would look like with the right changes. Not surprisingly, when you empower a team of great people, and give them the ability to focus on a clear set of goals while also allowing them to be accountable, amazing things can happen. We’re still just getting started.
- JD May, Aloompa COO
