Results over Process, or Process over Results... Managing the Balance

Statistics

In my first sales job, the company micromanaged the process. They had it all the stats figured out and the process was a pure numbers game. If you do X number of cold calls per day, you will get Y number of new customers. Simples. So, you had to tally up your cold calls for the day, and you could stop when you reached that magic number. If that didn't yield the expected results, you were put on probation, because it was assumed that you hadn't done the number of cold calls that you claimed. Again - Simples. They removed the human element and reduced sales ability to pure statistics. As far as they were concerned, anyone could be a good sales person, they simply had to follow the programme.

Were they wrong? Not entirely. Were they right? Partly.

Repetitive action (habit, perseverance, or whatever you may want to call it) in the wrong direction is still wrong. You just get better at being wrong.

Repetitive action in the right direction is still right. You get better at being right.

Management

In our previous example, where statistics rule, there is no such thing as a bad manager. The success of the team was purely as a result of following strict processes. The manager was the stick who made sure that you were following the rules, and the financial bonus was the carrot.

The Emotional, the Hands-off, the Micro-Manager and the Entrepreneurial Manager

I have worked for all of the above, and I have learned so much from each of them.

The Emotional Manager 

No Process, and results are a matter of chance

They say you should do one thing today, and then the opposite tomorrow. They have no clear strategy or process, and therefore no clear parameters for measuring performance or attributing praise or blame. They would be better off in a team of one.

The Hands-off Manager

Some Process, and the results are in your hands

They will let you succeed (or fail) on your own terms. They may or may not have benchmarks for measuring success / failure, and they may or may not have procedures in place. Working for someone like this is the next best thing to being self-employed. Go forth and experiment.

The Micro-Manager

I am the process, and the results are all my doing

It's my way or the highway. This person does not welcome feedback on the system (or lack of). Just do as they say (and not necessarily as they do), and even then, they will take the credit for everything.

The Entrepreneurial Manager

Process is evolutionary, results are understood, and the team is central to that

This is really the holy grail of management styles. Usually this person runs their own business and they are very much a part of the business. If you have hopes of working for yourself one day, this is the best person to learn from and to collaborate with. You can question this person and be assured that they will have sound and balanced business reasons behind what they do and why they do it. You can trust them to put process, quality and results on an equal footing and you can recommend them with confidence to your network. They harness the collective expertise of their team and place a great deal of value on it.

Business Process Solutions: Technology can fix it - If you know what the problem is

A new IT system could transform your business. It would be like taking a pill and the problem is gone. You think I'm being sarcastic, right? Well, actually, I'm serious. Maybe a new IT system could transform your business like a pill. Let's explore that analogy a bit further.

It's all in the diagnosis

For a doctor to prescribe medication, they need to make a diagnosis in order to give you the right pill. The more information they have the better. You have to be honest with them about your symptoms, and you may have to submit to tests. This is not too dissimilar to the process of inviting a business consultant into your business for them to 'diagnose' your business and prescribe a system (whether that be a new IT system or simply some new ways of working).

Getting a consultant in may be necessary in terms of the time and commitment it takes to analyse your own business, but it could also be an exercise in passing the buck. If the consultant can't fix your business, then you can blame them. This is where the similarities in the analogy end.

Work to make it work

Unlike taking a pill for an illness, changing the way you and your business works requires work from you. The consultant or the new system can only give you the tools and show you the way. They cannot do it for you.

The first stage of business process change is actually one that you would benefit from doing yourself.

Observation doesn't change a thing - but it makes all the difference

Have you ever started a new exercise regime or gone on a diet? If you engage the services of a personal trainer, the first step - before you do any exercise or change your diet - is to keep a food and exercise diary for a week or two. This is so the personal trainer can get an idea of your lifestyle and tailor a programme around you that will give you a greater chance of success. This process is also highly beneficial to you. It will give you a clearer look at your lifestyle so you can understand yourself better. Maybe you eat less fruit than you realised? Or maybe your eating is triggered by certain triggers that you hadn't identified before. All of that information is extremely valuable, and it didn't cost you a thing to get it.

Document the past - Don't live in it

Whether your existing business process is good or bad, you must document it. Even if it simply serves as a 'How Not To Do It' guide for future reference. If you can see what you're doing clearly you - or another expert - can identify possible solutions. It can be easy to get nostalgic about the good old days and the good old ways when the new ways hit teething problems. Having your systems documented, along with the problems faced and the solutions needed, will keep you focussed on building a new future.

That is the first step, and it really is that simple.