Sometimes, It’s the Little Things

As CEOs, it is up to us to push our companies forward. That usually involves the what; for instance, launching new products and services, bringing on new talent, and making new strategic partnerships. But from time to time, we need to look at how we are doing things, not just what we are doing. For example, at NY Report, we are looking at how we are marketing events, not just focusing on organizing new ones. While results from what we do show up very obviously on income statements (usually in the form of more revenue), how we do things affects the bottom line in a more subtle way. At the most basic level, doing things more efficiently will result in cost savings. But I also believe that how we do things affects the top line, as well.

I had a discussion recently with one of my colleagues, making the point that if we can streamline some procedures and improve how we do things, everyone will have more time to work on some bigger picture items, like new products.

One of the things that I look forward to most in our November issue each year is the write-up of the winners of the Small Business Awards. These companies simply find a better way to do things. But just because they are simple, doesn’t mean they are easy. To successfully implement new and better ways of doing things, we have to start at the top with our decision to commit to running our businesses better. Then we need to effectively communicate to our team the need to improve how we work, encouraging them to buy in and make it a priority. Those companies that do these simple-but-not-easy-things typically have better financial performance. You can read about nine such companies here. Here are a few highlights:

• We all know that we should leverage social media, but few of us are doing so with great results. Vintners Circle Franchising designed and implemented a social media campaign that helped franchises build awareness, drive referrals, and ensure repeat business.
• Creating a killer company culture is on almost every CEO’s wish list. Lawline developed a five-point program to support innovation and entrepreneurship among its employees—and it has yielded measurable results.
• ClearVision Optical has instituted a comprehensive employee wellness program that not only resulted in employees being more healthy, but more productive.

At each of these companies, these processes started out with a decision at the top to do things better. And each of these companies is seeing financial rewards.

As 2011 winds down and we look toward a 2012 that is likely to feature a stagnant economy, we should all be asking ourselves, “How can we improve the things that we are doing?”