Organizational Success

Looking at various companies and organizations small, large, and everything in between, there seems to be some common themes that are key to the success of an organization of any size. It all boils down to the following 5 things, doesn't it?

1. Right talent and team: It all starts with having the right talent, both on the top leadership team, as well as at all levels throughout the organization. As obvious as this sounds, it is surprising to see how many times we come across organizations making compromises on this front. It is absolutely critical to ensure we hire the best talent humanly possibly for any position. It takes a lot of time and energy to do this, but more importantly it is all about recognizing the importance of having the right talent and making it a top priority above all else. For this to work well, every leader that is in a position to make hiring decisions throughout the organization needs to share this philosophy, and drive this with almost maniacal passion - for every position every time, no matter how small or big the role is. 
2. Right structure with clear lines of accountability: Having the right talent is winning half the battle, but the other half is about what we do with that talent. How should the teams be organized for maximum efficiency and clear lines of accountability? Right structure is very critical not only to make things happen rapidly, but also to drive the right culture. 
3. Structured Decision-making process: You have the right talent, and they are organized well. What next? What is the process for making key decisions in the organization? Who makes key decisions, who are the stake holders? How do we decide on priorities, make trade-off decisions? Having a well thought out decision making process upfront saves a lot of time and thrashing, keeps the organization nimble and run with speed and agility. It also helps avoid bad politics. 
4. Communication: Most organizations understand the important of communicating the vision and strategy. But often there is not enough thought given to communicating how decisions are made or what key decisions have been made. Communication about decisions is as important as the decisions themselves to drive alignment and commitment within our teams. 
5. Course correction: In spite of having everything right for 1 through 4 above, mistakes are inevitable. Successful organizations are those that have the courage to recognize and admit these mistakes, and that are good about quickly course correcting where needed. 

I am sure it all sounds very obvious and simple if we think about it, and it should. The key is to be purposeful and deliberate about these in our thoughts and actions every day!