Business Accountability Teams - they go to BAT for you
Business Accountability Teams - they go to BAT for you
But we must be accountable if we are to achieve business success. Business Accountability Teams (BAT teams for short) are an effective accountability tool. It's a known fact there is greater strength from people working together for a common purpose than from one person working alone. It’s called synergy. Teams of aligned people always generate more ideas, different ideas, simpler actions and create motivated execution.
Make up of the team
The optimum size of a BAT team is six business owners. Any more than six dilutes the time available to work on each other’s business. Also it is more difficult to build a large group into an effective, cohesive management team supporting each member. And BAT teams that have less than six members will have fewer ideas and more limited horizons.
BAT teams are for entrepreneurs who are growing their businesses. Ideally a good cross section of businesses should be represented on each BAT team. For example, having a mix of business-to-business and business-to-consumer will bring different experiences and skills to the table. Service businesses working together with manufacturing businesses will challenge the status quo and uncover new and creative ideas.
Under no circumstances can you have competing businesses on the same team. This must be a supportive, non-competitive environment.
While the team is democratic (everyone is equal) it is probably wise to select a team leader to make sure the sessions run smoothly and stay on track. Rotate this role and the business owners have an opportunity to develop and/or improve their team management skills.
Team members’ responsibility
A BAT team is only as effective as the individual members. Each person must be open and willing to work as a team and to give whatever is required to help his colleagues achieve success with their businesses. Specifically, each business owner must:
1. Have a documented plan for their business.
2. Share their plan with the other team members.
3. Be committed to staying with the team for at least 6 months.
4. Keep everything discussed confidential.
5. Fulfill their obligations to the team.
The process of a BAT session
The BAT team gets together once a month for 3 to 4 hours. The monthly sessions are held during regular business hours at a neutral location; that is away from all the team members’ places of business. We have found that when we break this location rule the sessions are open to interruption from the normal day-to-day business activities. You may agree not to answer your phone if it rings but you cannot stop yourself wondering who called and why; this takes your mind away from the BAT work.
The dates for the sessions are pre-booked for six months. And here comes the crunch. Once the BAT team has agreed on the dates they are immovable. Our experience is when you start moving team dates you are interfering with the business schedules of six busy people. That is disruptive and rarely effective. And in the worst case scenario the team drifts apart.
To make the BAT sessions productive have an agenda and stick to it. Here is the framework for an agenda:
1. Positive Focus – what is the one most important positive thing that happened in your business in the last month?
2. Accountability - report back on the targets set at the last session. Praise the ones achieved but then focus on the ones that weren’t. What could have been done to meet these targets?
3. Set the targets – identify and clearly define the targets that must be achieved in the next month. Describe why they are critical to your plans.
4. Business issues – present any business issues requiring help from the team.
This is a working session where each team member is questioning, probing, giving feedback and providing ideas. The group is there to help each other achieve the targets and overcome hurdles. The single focus is on business success.
A word about targets: “If it can’t be measured it can’t be managed”. The targets must be measurable and so make sure you have the tools and/or processes to measure the results. For example, if the target is to achieve a 10% growth in profitability make sure your financial books are current and accurate so you can measure the growth rate. Targets must also be specific. Increasing sales is not a specific target; adding two new clients is!
Meeting once a month is not the only BAT activity. Team members should be encouraged to work together outside of the regular session. The Power of Synergy resulting from a dedicated team with a common focus is enormous.
Business Accountability Teams they go to BAT for you - To learn more about this author, visit Nick Hughes's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
How hard it is sometimes to stay focused; to put in that extra effort to achieve the business results we want. How easy it is to be wooed by the warm day to play a round of golf when we should be making sales calls. How easy it is to rationalize that taking the afternoon off will be made up for next week. This is especially true when there is no one to hold us accountable; ah the freedoms of business ownership!
But we must be accountable if we are to achieve business success. Business Accountability Teams (BAT teams for short) are an effective accountability tool. It's a known fact there is greater strength from people working together for a common purpose than from one person working alone. It’s called synergy. Teams of aligned people always generate more ideas, different ideas, simpler actions and create motivated execution.
Make up of the team
The optimum size of a BAT team is six business owners. Any more than six dilutes the time available to work on each other’s business. Also it is more difficult to build a large group into an effective, cohesive management team supporting each member. And BAT teams that have less than six members will have fewer ideas and more limited horizons.
BAT teams are for entrepreneurs who are growing their businesses. Ideally a good cross section of businesses should be represented on each BAT team. For example, having a mix of business-to-business and business-to-consumer will bring different experiences and skills to the table. Service businesses working together with manufacturing businesses will challenge the status quo and uncover new and creative ideas.
Under no circumstances can you have competing businesses on the same team. This must be a supportive, non-competitive environment.
While the team is democratic (everyone is equal) it is probably wise to select a team leader to make sure the sessions run smoothly and stay on track. Rotate this role and the business owners have an opportunity to develop and/or improve their team management skills.
Team members’ responsibility
A BAT team is only as effective as the individual members. Each person must be open and willing to work as a team and to give whatever is required to help his colleagues achieve success with their businesses. Specifically, each business owner must:
1. Have a documented plan for their business.
2. Share their plan with the other team members.
3. Be committed to staying with the team for at least 6 months.
4. Keep everything discussed confidential.
5. Fulfill their obligations to the team.
The process of a BAT session
The BAT team gets together once a month for 3 to 4 hours. The monthly sessions are held during regular business hours at a neutral location; that is away from all the team members’ places of business. We have found that when we break this location rule the sessions are open to interruption from the normal day-to-day business activities. You may agree not to answer your phone if it rings but you cannot stop yourself wondering who called and why; this takes your mind away from the BAT work.
The dates for the sessions are pre-booked for six months. And here comes the crunch. Once the BAT team has agreed on the dates they are immovable. Our experience is when you start moving team dates you are interfering with the business schedules of six busy people. That is disruptive and rarely effective. And in the worst case scenario the team drifts apart.
To make the BAT sessions productive have an agenda and stick to it. Here is the framework for an agenda:
1. Positive Focus – what is the one most important positive thing that happened in your business in the last month?
2. Accountability - report back on the targets set at the last session. Praise the ones achieved but then focus on the ones that weren’t. What could have been done to meet these targets?
3. Set the targets – identify and clearly define the targets that must be achieved in the next month. Describe why they are critical to your plans.
4. Business issues – present any business issues requiring help from the team.
This is a working session where each team member is questioning, probing, giving feedback and providing ideas. The group is there to help each other achieve the targets and overcome hurdles. The single focus is on business success.
A word about targets: “If it can’t be measured it can’t be managed”. The targets must be measurable and so make sure you have the tools and/or processes to measure the results. For example, if the target is to achieve a 10% growth in profitability make sure your financial books are current and accurate so you can measure the growth rate. Targets must also be specific. Increasing sales is not a specific target; adding two new clients is!
Meeting once a month is not the only BAT activity. Team members should be encouraged to work together outside of the regular session. The Power of Synergy resulting from a dedicated team with a common focus is enormous.
Business Accountability Teams they go to BAT for you - To learn more about this author, visit Nick Hughes's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
 | |
 |
No article feedback found. |
| |
Leave Your Feedback |
 | |
| |||
Dianne CramptonDianne Crampton is an executive leadership coach, team culture consultant, author and president of TIGERS Success Series, Inc. Dianne has been helping CEO's and Executives connect their employees to their core values and goals for over 20 years using the trademarked TIGERS team culture process, which stands for trust, interdependence, genuineness, empathy, risk and success. To download a free white paper on behaviors that build strong teams and behaviors that will predictably tear them down go here. Dianne's contribution to the 2010 Pfeiffer Consulting Journal (an imprint of John Wiley and Sons Publishers) entitled TIGERS Hearted Teams is available in November 2009. Her new book TIGERS Among Us: 5 Winning Business Team Cultures And Why, Three Creeks Publishing will release in March 2010. To receive publishing discounts, subscribe to the free TigerTracks Newsletter here. - Visit Dianne Crampton's Website |
|||
David BarrDavid Barr is the President of Venture Opportunities, Inc. David has been a professional business broker/intermediary since 1980 focusing on General Business Brokerage and Mergers and Acquisitions representing client transaction value from $400,000 to $20,000,000. Mr. Barr has handled the sale of over four hundred and fifty companies. David earned a university degree from the State University of New York majoring in economics and business. David holds the Mergers and Acquisition Master Intermediary and the Certified Business Intermediary designations from the International Business Brokers Association. He is also a Senior Business Analyst and a Texas licensed Real Estate Agent. For more information about David and Venture Opportunities, visit www.bizdealmaker.com. - Visit David Barr's Website |
|||
Anne BarrAnne Barr has over 26 years experience in sales and marketing, six years as a franchisee. She has assisted over 367 business owners and purchasers to achieve their goals in career change, transition and exit strategy. She holds the designation of Certified Franchise Executive from the International Franchise Association, Certified Business Intermediary from the International Business Brokers Association and Board Certified Broker from the Texas Association of Business Brokers. Anne is active in professional organizations, networking groups and volunteers for non-profit entities. As owner/operator of four successful businesses, Anne has proven people skills and enjoys helping clients find the right "fit" in business ownership. Visit www.FranchiseOpportunitySpecialist.com for more information about me and my company. - Visit Anne Barr's Website |
|||
Casey GollanCasey Gollan, Business Coaching & Mentoring Programs. Add $1 Million to $10 Million in the next 1 to 3 years. Since 1996 Casey has to added hundreds of millions of dollars to businesses. Watch a free video see client results Business Coaching website. - Visit Casey Gollan's Website |
|||
Kim CastleWith nearly two decades in the advertising and design business, with clients like Domino's Pizza, General Motors, Direct TV, Pedigree, Wolfgang Puck, Higher Octave Music, Hollywood Celebrity Products, Disney, and Paramount, as well as thousands of entrepreneurs around the world define, structure, communicate, and position their business for greater profits, BrandU(R) co-creators Kim Castle and W. Vito Montone discovered that entrepreneurs could experience the same power that big brands command for a fraction of the cost with the world's only process-based results-drive Integral approach to business creation. BrandU(R) is helping entrepreneurs grow with the power of extreme clarity from idea...to brand...to market(TM) and helping one million entrepreneurs become successful and whole so that they can make a difference in the world. Are you one of them? If you want to experience clarity all the way to the bank(TM), get started now at http://www.brandu.com. - Visit Kim Castle's Website |
|||
Jeff FosterWebBizIdeas.com is a Minneapolis website design company founded to help people start an internet business by providing them with website, business, and internet resources that help foster the growth of successful online businesses and develop innovative Internet business ideas. We specialize in internet consulting & internet marketing. - Visit Jeff Foster's Website |
|||
David AchesonDavid Acheson is the founder of DCJA Consultancy. DCJA Consultancy is a management consultancy business specialising in B2B sales consultancy. They offer bespoke and packaged sales consultancy including Sales Optimisation Review, Interim Sales Management, Sales & Marketing Review, 1:1 Sales & Management Staff Analysis, Management Training, Solution Sales Training, Creation of New Pay Plan, KPI's, run Customer Feedback Campaigns, assist with Recruitment, Coaching, Appraisals and set up Strategic Marketing Campaigns. David spent his early career in accountancy and then moved into sales in 1982, working in Office Equipment, IT, Advertising, Training, Outsourcing and Consultancy. He has held many Senior Positions in SMBs and Global Organisations including Head of Sales Operations & Head of Business Development. His knowledge, skills and great experience of the Sales Industry has led to David making keynote speeches and running educational sessions to key businesses through organisations including The Chamber of Commerce and Business Link. - Visit David Acheson's Website |
|||
Leanne Hoagland-SmithAre your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website |
|||
|
To learn more about the Evan Elite Author Program please contact us. | |||
 | |
|  |
Subscribe to Nick's articles
 | |
|
|  |
 | |
|
| |
 | |||||||
|
 | ||
 |
||
 |
||
 |
||
|
| ||
 |
| Have you written articles that would be of value to entrepreneurs? Become an expert on our site by publishing them! Expose yourself to a wide audience, drive more traffic to your website and get more sales! Click Here for details. |
|
|
 |
| Modeling the Masters: Learn the true secrets behind Walt Disney's business success factors & grow your company! Video produced by Phanta Media |
|
|
 |
"Learn straight from Evan how you can Make a Full Time Income (And More) from a Website"
Click Here To Learn More |
|
|
|
|
Get advice & tips from famous business owners, new articles by entrepreneur experts, my latest website updates, & special sneak peaks at what's to come!
|
|
|
 Power of Concentration Cash Flow Forecast Samples Program Health Check Managing Growth Non Disclosure Agreement |
|
 | ||
 |
The Top 10 Guy Kawasaki Posts
Best Posts for Entrepreneurs | |
 |
Top 50 Productivity Blogs
Top Blogs To Watch In 2008 | |
| ||
 | ||||
| ||||
|
| ||||
| ||||
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||
|
Email us your ideas on how to make our website more valuable! Thank you Sharon from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for your suggestions to make the newsletter look like the website and profile younger entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez and Sean Combs!
|
|
|
