2.5 Creating a Harmonious Business Model
“Whiskey is for drinking; water is for fighting over.” Mark Twain
I want to step away from social media for a bit and just talk about business because I
believe that more companies should be leveraging their following. There are two camps
that just don’t get along and what’s funny is that they are two sides of the same coin. If
you look close, all you see is conflict and if you look even closer you can see and feel
the harmony where both sides dance as one.
The first is the make it happen camp (fire element), which is the model that most
corporations lead by. This leaves room for little creativity and the main focus is order
and making sure order is maintained. I am not against this because depending on the
industry or team, this can be very effective. The challenge is that once most of us get
stuck in a model that is to routine, then human error kicks in and mistakes are made. I
believe that in today’s world it is important to give the employees more (not total)
flexibility, which in turn will create loyalty. Great business leaders throughout history have
used contest and incentives while asking employees for their opinion on how to make
the company more efficient and profitable. This being said, very few people can handle
this freedom all the time which leads to chaos.
Next we have the let it happen camp (water element), which how most great
corporations get their start or how other corporations never survive. This is built off of a
more lean approach and it gives a company the freedom to twist and turn being guided
by its original ideals. Usually when a company starts off it is more important to have the
flexibility to turn in many directions trying to find their identity that is the most socially
responsible and profitable and in alignment with their core values. This model is more
excepting of embracing chaos and changing directions to launch the company in its
initial growth phase.
Water and Fire in harmony can create very tasty Social Media profits…Cheers!!!
Companies today need to be more lean… Trust me, you don’t have to love change
to reap the benefits. When times are tough, or you see a competitive niche that your
company wants to go after, it is a lot easier to come up with a solution and the sooner
you’ll embrace change. Here are some good questions for you to review in your own
way that can help your company grow in uncertain times.
What part of your businesses model needs a makeover? Which team or department
would be the most suitable to handle this? Are there any ideas that were repeated in
this sub-chapter that I am starting to see in a different light?
