Build your business one process at a time.
Part 5 of a series on unlocking greatness in your business. Previously, I covered what makes a great Vision, how to surround yourself with great People , how to get a handle on the pulse of your business through Data and what to do with all of those things outside of your ideal scene, Issues. This week I cover the 5th key component, the EOS Process Component.
If you’re feeling like your business lacks control, you have no freedom from it or everyone (staff, clients & partners) are coming to you to get something done, there’s a good chance your business has a core process issue.
Your core processes drive your company. If they aren’t documented and followed by everyone, your organisation will run roughly and unevenly. You’ll have inconsistent performance and a degree of chaos throughout the company.
It’s impossible for leadership teams and business owners to fine-tune the business and develop a strategic plan for growth if the core processes found within the company aren’t consistent.
There are two key steps that leadership teams must take in order to systemise their core processes.
The first is to identify, simplify and document all the core processes within the business and the second is to ensure that everyone in the organisation follows these processes.
Creating the best processes for your business requires input from a mix of sources, particularly staff who have worked the processes for a long time.
Ask yourself how many employees are retiring within the next three years? Have their knowledge, experiences and “way of doing things” been documented? How long will it take to train their replacements and who will do that training? Capture their input today, before you lose this great source of knowledge.
Identifying and developing your core processes helps leadership teams understand where there are missing critical procedural steps or conversely, steps that don’t need to be there.
When teams become too entrenched in how they do things without really analysing them, it becomes easy to get settled into that pattern – the “if it ain’t broke, why fix it” mentality.
Simplifying your processes doesn’t just enlighten your leadership teams on how they are doing things now, but it also helps them identify possible areas where improvements can be made.
And most importantly, documenting and simplifying core processes means that business owners and leadership teams can create a self-sustaining organisation that can run smoothly, even if a key member of the team isn’t there.
The first step in bringing control to and understanding of the core processes in your business is to identify them. They typically cover:
No matter how many of these core processes your team identifies, everyone needs to be on the same page in terms of what to call them and what they consist of. Doing this creates clarity, reduces confusion, and gets everyone speaking the same language.
The next step is to Document the process. Use a 20/80 approach – document only 20% of the steps that yield 80% of the results. Think high-level summary, not a “how to” training manual.
The final step is to get everyone in the business to follow the updated process. This is best done by excessive over-communication! Retrain everyone and keep them accountable for following their process.
As a business, this last step is where the rubber hits the road. Well-documented processes, that are followed by all, ensure consistency for your customers and scalability of your business.
It is, however, one thing to document a process but another thing entirely to have it followed by all. Embracing something new, such as a process, doesn’t necessarily come easily to people. If you’ve ever invested time, money and resources to implement a new reporting process to manage workflow and information, you probably know what I mean.
Usually, just over half of the employees are using it a year later. Why?
Employees aren’t necessarily resistant to following a process, they are more likely afraid of losing something when asked to do so. The most common fears I hear are:
Here are 5 suggestions to help employees overcome their resistance to following your Core Processes:
Once your core processes are followed by all, you’ll be amazed at the difference in your business.
If you’re ready to make positive change, the first step is to schedule a free 90 Minute Meeting. This session will paint a clear picture of the system and will help you decide whether to move forward with EOS®. Schedule a 90 Minute Meeting with Us today.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on how you have found ways to document and consistently use the core processes of your business in the comments section below.