Continental Who's Who

WHY THE Spaghetti Method COMMONLY USED IN BUSINESS Needs to Go!

How we have done business over the last 20 years has dramatically changed with leaders, consumers and technology moving us to produce and have things faster and quicker than ever before. And for businesses that want to stay ahead in their market or simply keep up and not fall behind, this pace of innovation and change does have a price.

Our need to be smart in business, to know and utilize our leverage points to make effective and targeted business decisions quickly has never been more critical to sustaining our business and, more importantly, growing, expanding and innovating our business in this rapidly changing consumer market. Wouldn’t you agree? Yet, quite often we are unclear on what our leverage points our or how to utilize them tending to focus on our processes and systems in the hope that the performance of the business will improve! Our traditional methods we use and the way we approach these challenges need to be re-visited if we are to continue to be smart in business and stay wise about the price and consequences that the business is willing to go through in order to experience ideal results. Companies consistently state that the most important asset is their people, however, fail to truly understand HOW their people think and operate. Your people can be one of your most powerful levers — if only you knew how and when to utilize the lever.

Continuing to focus primarily on structure, processes and systems will only serve to drive complacency in your business and will put a cap on its growth potential. Continuing to recruit based primarily on skill and capability whilst ensuring you have the technical skills available in your business will not deliver on bringing passion, drive and innovative thinking to facilitate the future growth of your business. Continuing to measure success and results primarily on a financial basis will on the one hand enable you to stay in business but on the other hand may prevent you from really thriving and leaving your mark in your chosen industry.

Typical growth strategies used by many businesses involve improving market share, forming alliances, taking part in mergers and acquisitions and adding value to existing products and services. These tend to be among the key growth strategies businesses are implementing. And, in addition to these strategies, businesses tend to seek external assistance to achieve their growth ambitions on priority areas including strategic planning, people management and process improvement. I call the above the “spaghetti method” – throwing something at the wall and hoping it will stick!

What if it were less about doing what everyone else does and using those typical strategies and more about knowing what phase of growth your business is in and as a result which methods to use to facilitate growth, maximize people performance and attain optimal results for the business? In essence, developing a targeted approach specific to your business, its phase of growth and the strengths of the levers present in your business.

So how do you do that?

In your business there are four critical pillars that must be understood  and analysed to better know where there is optimal function, under function or over function, they are: Environment – the standards that guide the structure, operations and people Structure – the operational framework of your business

Operations – the tasks involved in your business People – the individuals that complete the tasks The Values PendulumTM Business Model helps you to pinpoint exactly where your business is functioning at its optimum, where it is under performing and where it is over performing, across all these four critical pillars. This knowledge will transform the performance of the business, the leaders and in turn the resources that enable your business to operate.

Its strength comes from uncovering how individuals in your business think, how your leaders think and the patterns of thinking present in your business.  It also highlights the value sets that underpin how

all decisions are made, behaviours are guided and communication occurs.

By incorporating a values based business model across your entire business, you will be able to:

• Understand your position in the market and the aspects to emphasise to draw clients to you like a magnet

• Transform how you and your business leaders make decisions that align with both the strategic vision and business culture

• Acquire people that are an ideal fit for your business and culture from both capability and mindset

• Develop leaders that are influential, prepared to challenge the status quo and be models of excellence for all team members

• Create and foster lasting and valuable relationships with your team, suppliers and clients

• Strengthen your processes and systems for replicable results

• Incorporate and drive innovation strategies and initiatives within your business to stay ahead of the game

• Foster a community around your business to create an inspired and empowered movement, and

• Ultimately fulfill your personal and business mission.

Simply choosing words to represent your values in isolation of understanding what drives and motivates our  team and consumer, the position your business and industry is within the business life cycle, and future trends in social, consumer and economic markets is essentially a pointless endeavour. This Values Based Business Model is NOT for you if you:

• Have you defined your culture

• Already have developed your leaders to the point of maximisation

• Know how to position your product/services in the market and implement the relevant structures and systems required and

• Are aware of how to uncover core leverage points to grow and innovate your business.

The values based business model is more than just words on a piece of paper. It is a framework of values centered layers for you to overlay on your business, across all areas, to facilitate growth and drive innovation. So take this opportunity now and contact us for a no-obligation coffee chat to uncover where your business is functioning at an optimum level, over functioning or under functioning.

Phone: +61 7 3297 7745 or

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The choice is yours. You may choose to hold fast to the spaghetti method or you may choose to seek out the method in which pin points exactly where your business is performing at right now and where the thinking of your leaders is at also. One choice will put you on the path to complacency. The other leads you down the path of growth, innovation and excellence. What will you choose?

By Paula McSporran

Business Performance Consultant

The Performance Institute