In 15 years of leadership, I’ve heard a lot of advice on how to run a business, most of which left me thinking the same thing. “That’s great in theory. But how do I put it into practice?"
Understandably, there’s a lot of emphasis on strategy and high-level planning for leaders - it’s a huge part of what we do. But what about execution? How do we go about making these exciting changes that we’re told will be transformational?
In this ebook, I’m hoping to shift the balance from strategy to the rituals and routines that really bring strategy to life.
I’ll show you how to take those big plans and break them down into actionable steps, by identifying the consistent practices that will help your teams achieve their goals.
I hope to do for you what our platform Frankli does for 100s of teams around the world - provide the tools to execute your strategy intelligently and efficiently.
And it starts with finding your company’s rhythm.
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Every company has an operating rhythm, whether it developed organically or was purposefully designed.
The everyday actions and rituals of the company’s people - meetings held, emails written, deals won, things created - all combine to create this rhythm, for better or for worse.
In some companies, the operating rhythm is unstable and erratic. If you’ve worked in a company like this, you’ll know what I mean. People are not aligned on their goals. Some are plodding along on autopilot. Others are in full gallop, making decisions with little regard for how they’ll affect their teams.
The world’s top-performing companies operate with a steady but adaptable rhythm. It quickens in difficult times and in phases of rapid growth, and there’s space to slow down when the teams need rest.
By looking at the everyday rituals and routines of your people, you can take the operating rhythm you’ve got, and turn it into something stronger, steadier and better suited to tackling your specific set of challenges.
This is not about laying down a set of rules for how your company should run. It’s about finding the right guidelines and frameworks for your people, even if that sometimes means building your own. It’s about prioritising flexibility and agility, and enabling flow. It’s about consistency, clarity and putting people first.
If you need help finding your company’s rhythm, let this be your roadmap.
How to Audit Your Company’s Operating Rhythm
As leaders, we like to think we know everything about how our business runs and where our strengths and weaknesses lie, but in reality, we can’t be everywhere at once. We need to check in our company’s rhythm regularly, and for us, this means performing an annual or bi-annual audit of our operating rhythm.
Here's how it’s done;
1. Leadership Discussion
Gather the leadership team for a frank and honest chat about how the company is functioning.
Questions to ask include:
- How well-connected are our teams?
- Are people aligned on goals?
- How do our people feel about work?
- Are we as efficient as we can be?
- What are some of the everyday rituals that define us as a team? Are these good or bad?
2. Consult your People
You’ll soon discover that in order to answer some of the above questions, you need to go directly to your people. Whether you do this with a series of 1:1 meetings, dedicated group sessions, or anonymous surveys is up to you. The important thing is to express your intentions clearly - the goal of this project is to make your organisation a better place to work for everyone.
