It never ceases to amaze me when SMEs voluntarily kill off their own advantages.
One of the beauties of being relatively small is that we can be nimble. We can respond or pre-empt quickly. We don’t need to get 8 levels of approval, manage 9 competing quarterly-bonus obsessed execs and align 12 business units.
Yet In an effort to do what companies are “supposed to do”, I’ve seen many small companies spend time and money tying themselves up in ways that add no value to the business. With an army of consultants and NEDs brandishing impressive corporate CVs pushing them in that direction.
Corporate’s not bad. But it is a different world with its own issues and opportunities.
There’s a line. On the left is a noose, disguised as a policy or an annual plan, or a … begging to be put around our necks because “that’s what companies do”. On the right is a whim based on today’s news or flash of inspiration someone had in the shower.
Our jobs leading an SME is to walk that line.
Covid is the time for planned nimbleness. Companies of all sizes should be re-evaluating their strategies,in terms of their product offering, their operations and their purpose. Those of us leading SMEs should thrive on being able to move quickly.
To talk to Iyas about how to protect your business through the crisis and build a stronger and more purposeful one coming out of it, just book a time to chat.