“You don’t have to be a genius to run a business. If you do what you say you are going to do, you are about 80% ahead of everyone else”
–Robert Schmidt.
For more than 40 years, I have led people and established great design and construction companies.
I grew up in the construction industry. Every summer, I dug trenches and poured concrete until I graduated from the University of Texas.
As the co-founder of Overland Partners, a world-class construction company, I understand that design and construction managers can feel lonely, confused, frustrated, and need strategic plans.
They face the challenge of creating and operating a healthy organization that will flourish and reach its full potential.
FIVE CHARACTERISTIC OF A SMART COMPANY:
I have discovered there are two dynamics to a healthy organization
It is smart and healthy leadership.
The approach of smart business leaders is they redouble their efforts on what they know best: strategy, marketing, finance, technology, and human resources.
What I identify as the smart characteristics of successful companies.
Do we have enough external capital? Do we have good controls?
Do we know what to do to succeed?
Do we provide a competitive advantage for our team?
Do we use technology appropriately to develop our business and production?
Do we have a good marketing plan? Can we establish and develop relationships with customers?
FIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF A HEALTHY COMPANY:
The other half of the equation, which I find most often neglected, is about being healthy.
Leaders struggle to embrace organizational health for many reasons: They are afraid of being aware of the wounds in the organization, they think they are too busy, or the concept is too
subjective and empirical, but to stay healthy, you need to understand the ailment that can undermine the organization’s health.
Before a leader can tap into the power of organizational health, they must step back and assess their company’s current condition, its cohesive integrity.
You must ask for help.
It’s like going to a doctor to clarify your symptoms, but some people ignore the warning signs.
Why?
Because who wants to discover a disease that can change or slow down their lives? But we all know that it is better to catch the problem early than to wait for the disease to develop.
Even if it slows things down, you will have a more productive life.
It works the same for your company. Leaders of healthy organizations focus on what I identify as five healthy characteristics of successful companies.
What problems are hindering productivity in your organization?
Does office politics reduce productivity and increase employee turnover?
Is there a clear strategy and plan?
How do we maintain a healthy turnover rate?
Do your employees like to come to work every day?
“If you want to handle yourself, use your head. If you want to handle others, use your heart.” —Eleanor Roosevelt
I believe Mrs. Roosevelt’s quote sums up what it means to be smart and healthy, using your head and your heart.
Wrap Up
In order for companies to reach their full potential, enable their employees to thrive, grow in their industry, and increase their bottom line, they need to make changes.
They must be smart and healthy.
I represent both the experiential context and the systems and processes that speak to efficiency, quality, sustainability, and organizational development.
If you want to gain experience and best practices in your unique field, that is what I solve for, and this is what smart and healthy companies are all about.
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