Create a cohesive management team that communicates openly, works cross-functionally and bears the responsibility of taking your organization to the next stage of growth.
After successfully growing my business for many years, in 2001 it became clear we needed to develop both our management bench strength and our management processes if we were to reach the next stage in our growth. As the business owner and President, I was personally stretched thin, overseeing much of the business personally, and much of my daily activity was given over to firefighting. I could sense that while we had a great business and passionate, committed people, some of the fun had gone out of our business, and the strong ‘family’ culture that I had built was coming under threat.
That Fall my management team and I started working with Les McKeown, and we quickly came to the conclusion that we needed to rebuild our organization’s ‘chassis’ – the entire management infrastructure – while at the same time keeping the business moving forward. This was clearly going to be stressful and complicated – but we all agreed it was vital if we were to get to the next stage in growth.
“With Les’s facilitation, our managers were encouraged to communicate openly – to express fears and concerns, and to jointly discuss the implications of the many changes we were making.”
Using the Predictable Success® process, Les helped us identify the changes we needed to make in how we were running the business, guided us each step of the way, and held us accountable for implementing the actions we agreed. With Les’s facilitation, we re-defined our management roles, brought in new expertise to the management team, restructured our group interactions and communications, and revamped some functional areas and introduced some new ones such as recruiting, training and retention.
We found one of the most important benefits of the Predictable Success® process to be the open, secure environment in which it is conducted. As we implemented the Predictable Success® program over a number of years, we totally transformed how our business is managed. Our superb management team has deepened in knowledge, experience and benchstrength, and shoulder much more of the daily responsibility of managing the business. As managers, we’ve been able to break down many of the ‘silo’s’ in the business, and we work much more cohesively and cross- functionally than previously.
Personally, I’m now able to spend more time mentoring and coaching my great team, and I spend much less time managing crises and fixing problems. Most importantly, the fun is back, and although we are now employing almost three times the number of people we were when we started Predictable Success®, our ‘family’ culture is as strong as ever.
“As an organization, we communicate better, think more strategically, and make better decisions, all as a direct result of the Predictable Success® program.”
If you’re a business owner or a CEO looking to take your business to the next level, I’d strongly recommend you contact Les McKeown. The best investment you can make in your future growth is in the Predictable Success® program.
John Higman
Pacific Architectural Millwork