The Value of Designing Your Firm as an Oasis
I recently received the best compliment I have received in a long time. I was talking with one of my company’s service providers, who said that she trusted our company implicitly. She is aware of how we manage the company, along with its processes and systems, and knows that she can rely on us to take care of our common interests.
As an example, she mentioned our many years of working together without any issues. She recalled a payment we were scheduled to make a year after a completed service, about which she had forgotten. Even though we did not receive a bill from her, we still called her to drop off the bill and pick up her check. We made the payment because it is a part of our process.
A Vision That Makes Business Sense
In a world where things change constantly, we can create institutions that are oases of reliability. The simple concept of being consistently dependable draws people, partners, and consumers alike, to an organization. These organizations work, and if there is a problem, the company will resolve it. In a way, our firms can exist as a version of what we would like to see everywhere. They do not have to be perfect; operating as well as possible and resolving any mistake that arises is enough.
This vision is not idealistic; it makes perfect business sense. As a client, I look to work with well-run, fair, and transparent companies. In the same way, potential and current clients, suppliers, and investors are looking for the same thing in my company and others. It is always a treat to find and work with an institution that treats people well. Once you build the relationship and then the trust, a sense of mutual goodwill emerges. Little quirks are easily pardoned, and there is room for developing ample relationships that work over the long run.
Key Ingredients
Becoming an oasis for others is easier said than done. How you get to that designation as an organization will depend on how you configure your company, but the elements will not vary. First, it takes a great team, people who are committed to the company’s mission. Next, you must weave reliability into the culture where everybody works hard to keep the company’s promises.
Then, an excellent infrastructure that includes the right company structure along with its underlying systems and processes will ensure that the ethos of responsiveness and order is encoded in the firm. A great team in an organized environment is the central part of the equation. But, it’s important to keep in mind that a firm can always be better, by learning from past mistakes or finding new ways to innovate. Therefore, the final ingredient is constant improvement, working tirelessly so that the company is dynamic, responsive, and effective.
You may not realize when your company becomes the oasis of the organization that you have strived to build. You may get compliments occasionally that hint at what you have achieved. What you will notice, however, is that avoidable problems diminish.
I received the feedback about our company from our service provider while she was complaining about one of our policies. She contrasted how well-run she felt the organization was with the policy we had. We have taken her feedback into account and are modifying our policy. The goal is to continually improve our organization and make it, as much as possible, our ideal well-run, responsive company.
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