The pandemic came. It was supposed to leave. It’s likely here to stay, and so is the age of disruption. In an age of predictable uncertainty, how can you confidently build a business plan for success?
I think I’m discovering how through my children.
We have seven kids and are about to hit the tipping point where more of them will be out of our nest than in it. As with all families, each of our children are different. But they share common angst as they get ready to leave the house: “I don’t even know what I want to be when I grow up yet. And I don’t know how to succeed in a brave new world of business.”
My short answer is, “Neither do I!”
There is no telling where the business journey will take you; – I’m a first-hand example of that. What I do now is not something I had never planned (or even dreamt of) back in my college or early career days. Who would or could have planned for a search firm for churches and faith-based groups? That didn’t even exist when we started back in 2008.
My advice to my kids is a three fold plan based on what I’m seeing work for our business. I tell my kids, “If you will do what you say you’re going to do, when you say you’re going to do it, and at the price that everyone agrees to at the beginning, you will be in the top 5% of whatever career or business you choose.”
Each of these things ties back to one core value that I think is vital for anyone in the workplace: a work ethic of integrity. And each is exceedingly rare. Delivering what you say you will deliver is unfortunately rare in our world, and the pandemic has exacerbated the problem of “on time and done right delivery” for everyone. I don’t know if we have felt that more acutely than we have in 2021 and 2022 with supply chain issues and labor shortages. Some hear this as a crisis. I see it as a fantastic opportunity for you to stand out among the crowd. Here are some thoughts on this one simple piece of advice:
Keep your word – do what you say you’ll do.
One of the most important qualities you can develop as a business, or even as a team member in your company, is integrity. Following through with what you say you’re going to do builds trust with your clients, employees, and colleagues, develops your own sense of ownership and responsibility in your role, and opens doors for future opportunities. If your clients and employees genuinely believe that you will deliver what you promise, they’ll be much more likely to want to work with you in the future. And this could also have long term effects – it’s a great thing to have a reference…