It's All In The Mix

Are your sales and profits where you want them? Are your people developing the innovative products and processes to get you to the next level, to win in the marketplace or maybe just to get your numbers in the black? Growth is often a byproduct of new perspectives – a new approach to common problems – matching your products to customer needs. It used to be said, “If you do what you did, you’ll get what you got.” In today’s world “if you do what you did, you’ll get less than you got!” Want improved results? Then mix it up. How?

Consider three vital components of a successful business:
1.  The right people mix
2.  The right market match
3.  The right style (Don’t use your parents’ leadership approach.)

THE RIGHT PEOPLE MIX
“Our people are our biggest asset.” This statement is incorrect 95 percent of the time! If you’re really living this, you’ve not only hired competent people with similar values, but you have people who are willing, able, and encouraged to (as Jim Rome would say) have a “take” – an opinion that possibly does not match yours! They can look different (have a earring or tattoo and call people dudes, be of a different race or sexual orientation), occasionally act different (they may enjoy working odd hours and work more creatively by taking a stroll than sitting at a desk), and occasionally be seen as a royal pain in the backside. In short, these people are often seen as “different.”

Why is a different “mix of people” good for business?

How can you mix it up to improve results?

THE RIGHT MARKET MATCH
Markets today are not mass markets. We talk in segments, niches and targets. Your budget requires you to focus for success. The mix is getting more mixed. So how can you leverage mix for market results?

THE RIGHT STYLE (Don’t use your parents’ leadership approach.)
My father taught me a ton while he was alive, but let’s face it: the world is moving much too quickly to lead by the same methods as even five years ago. I’m sure if my  father were living today he would say, “Michael you can either make change, or have change happen to you. Either lead or be a victim. What do you choose?”

What does effective leadership look like in your “mixed-up” world? Consider:

In the end it’s all about results. Mix can be the vital to achieving business results; but mix requires courage – the courage to have the right people mix, the courage to match your market and the courage to adapt your leadership approach. Do you have the courage to start on your “new mix?”

The author is chief executive officer of Cleveland Glass Block (a Northcoast 99 recipient for best employers in Northeast Ohio and a Community Pillar Award winner for community service) and president of Leadership Builders. He can be contacted by phone at 216/531-6085 or via e-mail at mfoti@leadershipbuilders.com.