Organizations must find the resolve to truly pursue excellence and to embark on a voyage of organizational self-discovery.
Are you minding your own business?
That’s a loaded question, because sometimes the best-intentioned organizations are slowly sinking in the quagmire of inefficiency while convincing themselves that their foundation is rock solid. One of the greatest challenges for any organization is to be self-critical. They must be willing to embrace the necessary humility to perceive the weaknesses as well as the strengths that characterize their organizational identity.
Some businesses or agencies are content to go their merry way, just trying to mind the store, completely oblivious to the ever-increasing gap between the place where they find themselves and the elusive goal of where they someday hope to be. The grind of meeting daily operational obligations can create a treadmill effect where the organization’s vision fails to extend beyond the basic requirements of doing business. If we desire to truly thrive and develop into what we may have once described in some lofty vision statement, we must find the resolve to truly pursue excellence and to embark on a voyage of organizational self-discovery.
The journey is a perilous one, because we inevitably walk it on a tightrope stretched between two opposing poles: the tendency to maintain the status quo of doing things the way we’ve always done them, and the beckoning pull of chasing shiny new technology that’s busy trying to convince us that we can’t live without it. Neither extreme does us any favors – the former causes us to drag our feet and gradually lose momentum; the latter sends us in a frenzied circle of chasing our tail and never really having anything to show for it.
The events of 2020 took the whole concept of business technology development and placed it in a microwave oven. Suddenly, with no advance notice and an ever-changing set of challenges, many organizations were plunged into a “crash course” of rethinking how to accomplish their daily routines. Those who had been resistant to exploring new technologies now found themselves pressured to make snap decisions, and in the frantic scramble to find the magical solution to their problems, many likely ended up with bells and whistles rather than a substantive set of tools for solving their problems.
New technology is critical to advancement
Embracing new technology can be intimidating, frustrating, and financially impacting, but the alternative – sitting still and hoping that things can remain “business as usual” – will generally cause those same concerns to an even higher degree. The inevitable conclusion that most hesitant organizations will eventually reach is that they’ve lost time and focus, and likely some clients or customers as well. Their competition may have continued developing at a healthy pace, and now the reluctant organization finds itself working ten times as hard in a panic-driven struggle to catch up.
Technology has been promising a “paper free” office environment since the early 1980’s, yet the irony is that many businesses find themselves still inundated with forms, applications, printouts, and countless other physical formats of data capture. Organizations that fail to pursue new technology, or that do so without proper training or a real understanding of why they should use it, will still end up indentured to the demands of software and systems. It’s critically important to remember that technology is a tool – nothing more and nothing less.
Any struggling business needs to be willing to diligently seek the counsel of an outside voice to help provide direction. If carrying out the necessary tasks to do daily business is draining the life out of the organization, the best that can be hoped for is the “keeping your head above water” scenario. An external perspective can cut through the clutter and provide amazing clarity as to where focus needs to be placed.
No business decision is perfect, but the greatest imperfection is failing to take the first steps on the road toward doing things in the best and most practical way possible.
To find out more about how ValorExcel can help your organization THRIVE, or to schedule a free clarity call, call 240-329-9387 ext. 285 today!