Paradigm Consulting is defining VENDOR STEWARDSHIP in the context of providing concrete, sustainable results:
- Should decision-making criteria be departmentally or individually centered when impactful to an organization at large?
I’m among the last that go for a “team kumbaya,” committee-based decision-making process, but too often, too much power is ceded to those who are A-types with exceptional IQs. This by itself on the surface may seem like a key qualifier, but often leads to less than stellar results in many ways.
- We’ve been in a bull market for eleven years. Are you ready for the bear market?
We’re full of gratitude for a record streak of good times. This is the longest bull market in history, but we’re destined for a bear market, whether its tomorrow or next quarter we don’t know. Is your game plan in place for the new paradigm about to hit?
- Should decision-making abilities be handed to those with political skills vs. substantive contributions?
If your organization is like many others, the individual contributors are often far better observers than given credit for, and its management’s fault if they are not productively engaged to their capacity. Consider delegating more decisions based on substantive skills or at least their capacity for the same with some mentoring. Before you know it, you’ll have developed a meritocracy of eager talent.
- Is reducing the cost of sales seen as a means of improving profitability?
If so, it’s a sign of short-term thinking. When tuned correctly, the more money spent on sales, the more profit the company enjoys. (Yes, we realize there’s a logical point at which this is no longer true.) This could be an indicator of an opportunity for a low-cost transformation.
- Is there linkage of mission and compensation from the C-suite to the individual contributors, particularly sales? No?
And one wonders why there’s no passion, no consistency of value proposition and the need for constant staff meetings for messaging. Creating visible and measurable linkage as noted will cure many ails.
- Is customer churn viewed as inevitable and one requiring constant attention?
If so, unless you’re willing to bet your family dog that your business is so unique that this must be the case, you’re likely stuck in a sales rut. Accept the reality and explore alternatives with third-party expertise.
- Does your management team have a lot of talent yet seems to lack synergies to propel the firm where you believe it should be performing?
Like a fine meal, the end product is greater than the sum of its parts. You may have a terrifically talented team and you may be a good leader, but if the types of personalities attached to the talent cannot perform interdependently, you’re likely missing out. This goes beyond the DISC system. DISC does an excellent job of defining one’s impact style, but psychometric analysis needs to be added, which measures purpose, motivated role and temperament.