Many positive outcomes arise when preparation is part of a company culture
Audrey Norwood //December 9, 2019//
Many positive outcomes arise when preparation is part of a company culture
Audrey Norwood //December 9, 2019//
Key presentations delivered without the benefit of a peer review. Proposals submitted at the last minute without a proof-read to catch a misplaced decimal. Wasted hours spent in meetings where there were no prepared agendas or defined outcomes. If these scenarios have a familiar, anxiety-conjuring ring ̶ you are not alone.
If these scenarios are part of your organization’s current reality, changing that narrative is entirely possible. There is a saner, more sustainable approach to doing business, one built around preparedness.
Granted, there will always be moments when workloads mount, deadlines stack and proper preparation takes a back seat to getting the work done. And yes, some of the best work a person or team delivers could come while under the gun, driven more by sheer adrenaline than forethought or preparation. However, the benefits of consistently being better prepared, as well as the risks of being underprepared, are too significant to ignore.
Sometimes an organization’s internal mythology can glorify ready-fire-aim achievements, but when it comes to consistent quality — of the workplace experience for employees, of the overall work product they deliver and of the ideas that fuel growth — this last-minute mindset is not a good long-term substitute for careful planning.
When an organization and its leaders make thoughtful preparedness a key element of their culture, not only does it drive a company’s maturation, it also drives results. The following are examples of positive outcomes that occur when people are consistently prepared and armed with detailed plans.
All these scenarios feed consistently better execution and outcomes across your organization. In order to build and sustain preparedness as a key cultural element in your organization, start with these four strategies:
None of this is to suggest you need to run a military-style operation. The goal is to use preparedness to free up more time and energy for the spontaneity, creativity and focus that ultimately drive growth and innovation. A culture of preparedness can also be a culture of flexible working, of reasonable work/life balance, of joy and fulfillment — essentially, a culture in which there’s plenty of room to celebrate the positive outcomes that preparedness brings.
Audrey Norwood has been at high-growth technology companies for 10+ years and is currently the Chief of Staff at GoSpotCheck.