Make Small Changes to Grow Your Business
Do you want your company to grow? Or do you want to advance within your organisation? No matter which scenario applies, the outcome is likely the same. We all want to reach our goals and get ahead in life. But making big changes can be daunting.
Big changes can fail: The flawed logic of big changes = big results
Did you know you can achieve the same growth by making small shifts? Companies all around the world are doing it and surpassing those who set overwhelming goals.
If you want to know how companies such as Walmart failed by making big promises they couldn’t live up to while others made smaller shifts that changed their entire business keep reading.
Company: Walmart
Problem: The company identified sustainability issues after Hurricane Katrina caused catastrophic damage along the Gulf Coast.
Big change: In 2005, Walmart announced plans to run entirely on renewable energy.
Big fail: While Walmart is making progress, more than a decade on the company still hasn’t fulfilled its promise. Although it had good intentions, Walmart should have announced small, achievable changes, rather than the big promise everyone’s focusing on, especially since they haven’t reached it in a reasonable timeframe.
On the other hand, companies making small changes are boosting their credibility and improving workflow. Where did they start? The first small change applicable to an organisational environment is taking the time out of your busy schedule to address any problems. Problems can be the source of growth when you introduce small changes.
Here are two great examples:
Improve time management in the workplace
Company: Richard Kershaw from WhoIsHostingThis.com
Problem: He found emails were a big time waster, and Kershaw found that he wasn’t prioritising tasks properly as a result.
Small Change: He introduced inbox filters to ensure priority to urgent emails, while the rest go into other folders to read when he has time. For example, he created a rule like “always move messages” with a certain criterion like “meetings” into an “Urgent” subfolder. He also filters team emails and specific projects into subfolders, with newsletters and marketing emails directed elsewhere. He also added subject keywords and specific contacts to direct emails appropriately.
Big Impact: Kershaw found he wasn’t wasting time going through his inbox to find important emails and improved his time-management skills. He now has more time to focus on his priorities for the day, and his inbox is organised as an added bonus.
Change your organisational culture
Company: ZinePak
Problem: Employees coming to work despite being sick, causing low productivity and resentment.
Small change: The company encouraged employees to take sick days by implementing the policy that you stay home if you are ill. All employees received updates on the new policy, which can be done through meetings and by internal communication. It can also be upheld by checking in on employees and sending them home if they are noticeably sick.
Big impact: The small shift improved recovery time and reduced rates of other employees getting sick. It also improved the overall company culture since team members stay home when they are sick, reducing resentment towards those who used to show up and spread their germs.
Find the problem within your company, determine small changes you can make to resolve them, and you’ll discover big results.