Quotations are widely used by writers, speakers, business people, and the average person on the street. Everyone from William Shakespeare to Mark Twain to The Simpsons find their words respoken as wisdom. In fact, quotations are thrown around so often that no one even takes time to assess the meaning and impact of the famous person's statement.
After an introduction like that, you just know that I'm going to quote some well known individual as well. Already, you are bracing yourself for some profound words from the ages. Well, you're right. I want to discuss at least one quotation and the implication of the words for your business and its future. This will be part one of an occasional series on quotations by various people from different walks of life. Some will be business people and others will be from men and women from other backgrounds and specialties.
Let's start with a few ideas from the well known anthropologist Margaret Mead (pictured at top).
A small group of thoughtful people could change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.
Margaret Mead
Changing the world can be a global change resulting in the elusive world peace, elimination of hunger and poverty, or saving the environment for future generations. The world can also be as small as your own independent business. After all, you do a have the requisite "small group of thoughtful people" at your disposal. All you have to do is put their ideas and energy to work for you and your company.
For many business owners, asking for ideas and guidance from employees is a very difficult decision to make. In fact, it may be the hardest choice facing an entrepreneur of a growing company. It's difficult enough for a person, who bootstrapped the business from nothing to its current success, to even delegate day to day operations. It's another level of magnitude higher for the owner to seek new ideas from the staff.
The need to let go and work on the business instead of in the business is a huge step for an entrepreneur. While it might not be Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong on the Moon large, it is necessary to grow the business. Instead of handling day to day tasks, the owner's time and energy are better employed at increasing the overall business revenue and profits.
The way to success is to let your employees help you to change your world. After all, when you hired the staff members, their talent and skill were needed in the organization. From previous positions with other companies, and from working at your place of business, your employees possess a cornucopia of valuable experience. Why not put that experience to work for you.
At the same time, people have ideas to improve the business and more often than not, they are ideas that can be very profitable to the company. The creativity can be put to work at cutting costs, improving operational efficiency, marketing, customer service, and business expansion. Those are just for starters as many more creative solutions to long standing problems can be developed by the people who best know the business. The company's people are its most powerful resource.
When people develop new ideas, and share in their development, they take ownership of those plans. They set the goals, and as a result, they have the personal emotional investment to achieve them. People want to succeed if they are given a chance to display their talent and effort. They will make the committment to success.
That's a small group of dedicated people changing the world.
Thanks to Margaret Mead for that powerful business idea.
