TAKE, SHAKE OR BREAK

A mentor of mine once told me that business is relatively simple.  All you have to do is TAKE, SHAKE or BREAK!

That’s the core task for the management of any enterprise; to decide how the business is to be run and explicitly understand what we take as givens, what we shake up with minor or major overhauls, and what we break entirely and then remake.

Sounds simple, but two things stand in the way.  First, organizations don’t always know the basic components and elements that are fundamental to running the business.  I recently asked a gathering of CEO’s to articulate what the dimensions of value their customers care about. It was astounding that a good number of these CEO’s were not focally aware of the basic values important to their customers.  They simply don’t recognize or understand the “take”.

The second thing that stands in the way is that organizations don’t readily perceive a need to change or aren’t willing to endure the difficulties and unpleasantness required to renovate or transform an organization.  At the same gathering of CEO’s, it became clear that they were sophisticated and knowledgeable leaders that were steeped in the techniques of operating a business, but with little experience in transforming one. They simply did not possess the skill relating to “shake” and “break”.

There are several attitudinal, behavioral and knowledge characteristics that can help:

1. Be paranoid.  Andy Grove of Intel’s motto is “only the paranoid survive”.
2. Embrace diversity of opinion and perspective. Surround yourself with people who see things differently.
3. Search for change, and then act on change
4. Work “on” the business, not just “in” the business
5. Extend beyond your management team.

Bottom line……..good Take, Shake and Break decisions and practices are essential to the continuing success of any enterprise.