Looking at Your Business from a New Perspective
Sometimes though, we hit a plateau. Nothing we try seems to work. We spend hours stressing about the numbers, looking for new marketing ideas, or looking for the perfect team member to hire…but it just falls flat. I’ve been there, and I’m pretty sure you have too.
When that happens, it’s often because more work isn’t the answer; a new perspective is.
This is something that we often miss due to the hectic nature of our schedules and the pressures that face us every day, but it can be the game changer for your business.
New Perspectives
I love to travel. When Covid restrictions aren’t in place, I spend part of each year in France, part in London, and part in Switzerland in addition to the time I spend at home in Seattle. When I’m able to travel other places, I jump at the chance!
One of the things I love most about traveling is that I always find new ways to view my life, my business, and the world around me. These new perspectives give me a lot of insight and feed my creativity.
I find the same thing happens in business. If I only look at things through my own perspective as owner, I’m only going to see a fraction of the possible solutions. When I take the time to view my business from different angles, however, new possibilities come to light!
Travel-Inspired Perspectives to Transform Your Business Operations
One of the most important perspectives to view your business from is that of a client (or prospective client). As the owner, you know what image you want to project to the world, and you want your clients to experience excellence from your team.
How can you know that’s actually what they are experiencing, though?
Testimonials are a great way to learn whether your clients are experiencing top-notch service (and you should have a system in place to seek them), but these tend to be high-level overviews rather than detailed critiques.
Surveys are a strong tool to use when trying to understand what your clients do and don’t like – and what they would like to see in the future – but they have their limits. The fact that they are easy and quick to fill out results in answers that are directly related to the questions you ask.
The best way to learn what your client journey has to offer is to enter it yourself (or have a trusted team member or friend do so). When you have the opportunity to view your business as a prospect or client, you will be able to pinpoint any bottlenecks or areas of friction that may make it difficult to work with you.
Armed with this knowledge, you can resolve any issues and implement the systems that will help your business grow!
The Team Member’s Perspective
If you want your business to grow, you need to build a team and a culture that will support that growth. On your own, you can only grow so far; with a team that is indifferent to your goals, you will be swimming upstream the entire way.
With a team that is excited to help you grow your company, serve your clients with excellence, and find the ability to thrive in the process, your growth potential is nearly unlimited!
Building a thriving team that wants to help you grow is not an easy thing to do, though. It takes clear communication, a clear vision, and consistent, intentional management.
There are different ways to go about this, and I encourage owners to implement a number of them. Personally, I find that holding quarterly reviews is a great way to keep communication open with each member of my team. During these reviews, I can better understand their goals, listen to what they do and don’t like (and love) about their jobs, and support them in setting goals for the coming quarter.
This is an essential part of building the culture I want my business to have.
On a weekly and monthly basis, I depend on my Team Happiness Coordinator and Department Coordinators to stay in contact, both with my team members and with me.
There are other layers to this process as well; the Build Your Culture Masterclass in our Business Mastery College will lead you through each step at your own pace!
As you work through your plans for Q4 and set your goals for 2022, I strongly encourage you to step back and get intentional about viewing your business from different perspectives. If my team and I can support you, just let us know!