Foundational thinking

Forcing yourself to slow down and take stock is one of the hardest things to do. Carving out the time to think about the foundational parts of your business feels like going backwards. 

I know because I’m doing it myself right now. Every fibre in me wants to rush into client work or marketing 3800. Because that feels like progression. But actually the biggest progress comes from taking time to review the foundations. 

When reviewing your foundations, ask yourself…

• Why does your business exist?
• Do you have the same vision you once had?
• Are the engagement levels still there?
• Are all employees on the same page?

It’s easy to lose focus on this because it’s easy to busy ourselves with work. Heads down, do our jobs. It’s much harder to stop, reflect and readjust. And when those foundational aspects aren’t solid, you feel the impact daily. 

Shaky foundations lead to…

• Leaders who aren’t giving as much as they used to.  
• Employees who show up in their body, but their soul stays at home.
• Slipping retention rates and exciting new hires who become less and less exciting. 

The concrete in your foundations

Culture is another cornerstone of your business. But it’s a term that’s become so far removed from what it actually is.

Culture isn’t a ping pong table or Friday beers.

Culture is the thread that knits together your purpose, mission, vision and values. 

Real and meaningful culture looks like… 

• A sense of unity that comes from working towards the same goal. 
• A shared belief in the journey you’re undertaking.
• The pride that comes from having a positive impact on the business. 

Think bonds, not documents.

Having a culture doc / mission statement / purpose deck are all pointless without buy-in from your team. Whether it’s relationships with employees, or even your partner at home, the approach needs to be the same. 

To feel a part of something, people need to know…

• Why they’re investing in that relationship. 
• Where the business is heading.
• How you’re going to get there. 
• They will be seen and supported along the way. 
• They are an active participant in the journey you’re on. 

These things aren’t achieved through motivational posters. If you don’t have a plan, or exercises in place to revisit and instill these foundations on a yearly basis, you’re missing a trick. Because life moves on, people forget, and the day-to-day work soon takes over. 

3 ways you can think foundationally 

1. Block a day out in your calendar to really think about the first 4 bullets of this blog. Make the commitment. 
2. Ask your employees how much they know about the fundamentals of your business. This could be an anonymised questionnaire or part of the appraisal process.
3. Review your culture doc (or start one) and consider if your culture is actionable, or just fluffy platitudes. Do you have the scaffolding in place to ‘live’ your culture?

Out with ping pong. In with substance.