Thursday, May 19, 2016

Business Growth: 8 keys to effectively leading your team to achieving targets

By Virginia Mburu

A leader…..

A person in control of a group… Don’t we all love to be that person? However, an effective leader is so much more as they help the group and the institutions it represents to grow and prosper. 

And the growth can only be achieved when certain targets are achieved. Which means you- the Leader must hold several keys as we will deduce from our case study in Genesis 34: 1-15;

Key 1…..Keep your ears on the ground for target ideas
Listen to what is happening in your business, or the market place. What is changing? Is it the customer needs and preferences, buying habits, buying power, stiffer competition? 

Or could it be that you the entrepreneur wants to expand your market coverage, product line etc? Or you could even have received a message from a trusted higher authority like Jacob in Genesis 35:1 “Then God said to Jacob……”

Key 2…..Have a crystal clear target and results
Irrespective of your target idea source, you need to have a clearly defined target and results. What exactly is the target, why, what is going to happen once you hit it? Should you want to expand your product line to make more sales, to defend your major brands etc.?  Will the result be 20% more sales, or 10% more market share etc. 

Jacob was moving to a new residence as deduced from Genesis 35:1“…..Go up to Bethel and settle there, and build an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you were fleeing from your brother Esau.” This was a place of blessing where he had previously met God (Genesis 28: 10-22) and appropriately named that place- Bethel (House of God).

Key 3…..Plan the journey
Genesis 35:2 “ So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods you have with you, and purify yourselves and change your clothes.”

Action 1…Determine what / who you will need to get to your target. 
What do you need when developing a new product, new market, new business etc. - what skills, equipment, technology, finances etc.? Jacob  was to take his household  and all who were with him. They were required to purify themselves.

Action 2…Determine what changes need to be effected
What change of clothes do you need during your target journey? Could it changes in policies procedures, work instructions systems etc.?

Action 3…Determine what you need to get rid of
What baggage do you have in your business that you need to shed off? Is it limiting mindsets, culture/attitudes, redundant technology/equipment/staff etc.? Which foreign gods are you hosting and what impurities do you need to clean out?  Jacob had to get rid of foreign Gods and uncleanliness

Action 4… Form  your team, sell and clearly communicate your target to all who will take the journey with you
Verse:3-“Then come, let us go up to Bethel, where I will build an altar to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and who has been with me wherever I have gone.”

Invite (…then come) all those taking the journey with you and sell the target. What is it, why, how it benefit them and while at it, provide some proof.  What previous victories have you had so far? The people who were with Jacob had witnessed how God had blessed Jacob in the past and now as they set to go to Bethel they could expect similar blessings. 

Action 5…Ensure that all baggage is done away with
Verse4-  So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods they had and the rings in their ears, and Jacob buried them under the oak at Shechem.
Once you have sold your target to your team, they will now be willing to release the baggage. You can now preside over the business sweeping process and ensure that the baggage is buried.  You will note that Jacob personally collected all the foreign gods and buried ( not hide) them.

Key 4…..Time for action, action and more action
Genesis 35:5 Then they set out, and the terror of God fell on the towns all around them so that no one pursued them.
 With a crystal clear target, a winning mindset and thorough plans, you will blaze through even the toughest terrains. Is it any wonder that a “purified Team Jacob” passed through all towns and they were not attacked? 

Yet, Jacob’s sons had killed the men of Shechem because one of them had raped their sister. As chapter 34 closes, we see Jacob lamenting about it- (Gen.34:30) “You have [made] me a stench to the people living in this land. We are few in number, and if they join forces against me and attack me, I and my household will be destroyed”. 

Key 5…..Mark the milestones
Verse 6-7 “Jacob and all the people with him came to Luz (that is, Bethel) in the land of Canaan. There he built an altar, and he called the place El Bethel because it was there that God revealed himself to him when he was fleeing from his brother.”
When you get to your target, mark the milestone and make it BIG actually BRAND IT.  Take an example from Jacob. He build an altar and renamed the place—El Bethel (God of Bethel).

Key 6…Expect some setbacks and bury them
Verse 8 “Now Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died and was buried under the oak outside Bethel. So it was named Allon Bakuth”
Setbacks, frustrations, disappointments … We do not like them, actually we abhor them though they are growth catalysts. They could present as accidents, strikes, environmental changes etc. 

Mind you, they come just about when we are about to reap the fruits of his journey. The lesson is to quickly bury them as Jacob did when Deborah- Rebekah’s (his mother) nurse died. You will note that that the baggage, failures, setbacks etc. are buried not glossed over or swept under the carpet.

Learn the lesson and give it a name so that it is not to be repeated. Jacob called the burial place Allon Bacuth (Oak of weeping).

Key 7…..Enjoy the fruits
Verse 9-13 “After Jacob returned from Paddan Aram, God appeared to him again and blessed him. 10 God said to him, “Your name is Jacob  but you will no longer be called Jacob; your name will be Israel.” So he named him Israel. And God said to him, “I am God Almighty]; be fruitful and increase in number. A nation and a community of nations will come from you, and kings will be among your descendants.  The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac I also give to you, and I will give this land to your descendants after you.”  Then God went up from him at the place where he had talked with him.”

Now that you have overcome all odds and hit the target, it’s time to get your results- the customers, the revenue etc. You even get a new name (say Entrepreneur of the year 2015) in line with your new achievements. Moreover through this experience, you have set your foundation for more growth and nurtured other leaders within your team who can carry the business to the next level of expansion! 

Key 8..…Celebrate with gratitude and erect a stone pillar
Verse 14-15-  “Jacob set up a stone pillar at the place where God had talked with him, and he poured out a drink offering on it; he also poured oil on it. 15 Jacob called the place where God had talked with him Bethel”

Jacob celebrated by setting up a stone pillar pouring out a drink offering and oil on it. How do you celebrate? Get the drums rolling……..  and name the place you are at just as Jacob called the place where God talked to him Bethel (house of God).

While at it be gracious to give thanks to those who contributed to your success- God, employees, society etc.  What is your memorial stone pillar that can easily be recognized for years to come which reminds you and others of the successes? Mmmmmm….. that reminds me of the “Wings to Fly” program……

Over to you Passionate Entrepreneur;
What strategies have you put I place to ensure that targets are achieved?
In which areas do you need assistance?

Share your experiences, suggestions or questions in the comments section below. Who knows- you could be the beneficiary of the memorial stone we erect once we achieve our targets!

Whatever you do, make sure it results in less work, more money and positive impact.

Update


Virginia Mburu
Passionate Entrepreneurs Coach

Virginia empowers and motivates Passionate Entrepreneurs to realize their purpose and pursue it. She then assists the entrepreneurs to clarify, prioritise and focus on management and marketing strategies and action plans that will get them to work less, make more money and positively impact within one year.  Download some of her gifts- absolutely free lessons on www.biasharacoach.blogspot.co.ke

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