No business is perfect, or if such a business exists, we have not found it! The problem is that some business owners look at their world through rose tinted glasses and don’t see the issues their organisation is facing on a daily basis. These issues can be internal problems with staff, cash flow, communication, etc. or they can be external threats to the business such as new competitors, new products, the economy, etc.
When we run workshops we often take participants through a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) of their business. While people tend to struggle a bit with the strengths and opportunities, they never seem to have any problems identifying weaknesses and threats! This may be a general ‘glass half empty’ culture in this country but it can be illuminating none the less.
In our Brand Journey process we always turn negatives, such as weaknesses, around so that they become positive actions to correct the weakness. Many of the so called weaknesses that are surfaced are actually symptoms of a deeper issue. We always work to track the symptoms back to the root cause because identifying and taking steps to resolve the basic issue will ultimately also resolve the symptomatic issues.
Do not look negatively upon issues within or outwith your organisation, instead turn them into opportunities to take action to improve your organisation. This approach will have a hugely beneficial outcome in the longer term.