The Cape of Storms was lashed by a fierce one recently, with the strongest winds, biggest swell and most snow experienced in a while. After conditions returned to some normalcy, we took to the waves. There was a lot of water moving around, and inevitably the waves were bigger than they looked from the shore. Somehow, I managed to get through the shore break and suddenly found myself amongst the big dogs at the back. This left me feeling distinctly uncomfortable. Fortunately, my surf buddy/coach was there to calm my nerves and guide me into a good position to catch one back to safer waters.
I took up the sport late in life but have become passionate about surfing. We are all enthusiastic and go for a paddle as often as we can; fortunately, we live within walking distance from the surf spots in Melkbos. I still prefer a longboard, but have progressed from the white water to riding the green face of the wave.
So obviously this is not me in the snap – that’s my good mate Seth Hulley, former professional surfer and world pro junior champion. He gets all the credit for the surfing ability (limited as it is) that I have developed over the last 5 years. Apart from reminding me of the basics – paddle hard, chin on the board, pop up quickly, stay calm – he also pushes me out of my comfort zone to the next level. While at the same time having my back. The essential characteristics of a great coach.
This brings me to the topic under discussion. To get ahead and remain competitive, you must keep getting better at what you do. Service your customers better. Execute your key activities better. Develop a culture of continuous improvement in your business.
There are three points I would like to highlight in this regard:
- You determine the culture in your business. Your approach to continuous improvement will determine the extent to which it is adopted in your business. Understand that it isn’t easy to leave your comfort zone; the natural reaction is to fall back into the old ways. A coach will help keep you and your team honest.
- Changing the way that things are done is often a bumpy ride. Sometimes performance may deteriorate before improving. Tiger Woods adjusted his swing on several occasions. His game at the time suffered as a consequence. The long-term results speak for themselves.
- Continuous improvement requires change management. And the aspect of that I would like to focus on is patience. People don’t simply change because it was decided to be so. They need to be led along this path. Nicola Tyler uses a great example to illustrate this point: You need to move a marble from one end of a sponge to the other without touching it (people don’t like to be pushed around). You could lift the sponge at one end and let the marble roll to the other, but that would require too many resources. The simplest way is to press down with your finger into the sponge and let the marble roll into the depression. You cannot press too far ahead. This could either have no effect at all, or the marble could roll into a hole in the sponge and get stuck. To affect long-term improvement you need to show people the goal, and then lead them step-by-step along the way.
So say the bosses
Stephen Covey dedicated the last of the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People to continuous improvement. He refers to it as sharpening the saw. This covers more than just investing in growth, it includes taking the time to renew and refresh the four dimensions of our natures — physical, spiritual, mental, and emotional.
Abraham Lincoln said: “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.”
“Culture isn’t just for yoghurt”, says Marnus Broodryk. “It is how we do stuff around here. It starts with you. People will take their lead from you and replicate that.”
The Sologix solution
The GrowthWheel decision sheet Culture of Productivity includes some absolute gems that we will work through over the next few blogs.
Continuous improvement is the first in the series. Make it part of the DNA of your business.
Engage with Sologix to help you on this path. Join an online course or contact us for personal business coaching by sending us an email here.
