I'm In Love With Processes (and you should be too)
We should all be in love with processes. Shouldn't we?
For me, there are 3 pillars to being successful.
Habits
Consistency
Process
The third one of the process is one that isn't talked about often, and yet it creates a solid platform that doesn't require motivation, willpower or even thinking about that often. It is written down and followed. The simplest of processes can be followed by anyone as long as it is clear to follow and understand.
What is a process?
It's a series of actions or steps taken in order to achieve a particular end goal. These are set out at the beginning of the task and followed through the natural flow. All actions/steps are laid out in an organised way so that each leads onto the next.
So let's keep this simple and look at the benefits:
Flexibility.
A good process has 2 main advantages when it comes to flexibility. The first is that you can write it in such a way that it is more guidelines and left open to individualisation by the team. A good example of this is when we look at a sales team and outbound sales. The first step maybe is to find leads using the ideal client profile. This can be left open to where the team find these leads and even the message they send based on a framework. This allows for each team member to bring in their unique personality with will connect further with each potential client.
The second advantage is that a more structured process can and should be reviewed on a regular basis, and updated when needed. A structured process will allow for more metrics. Again using an outbound sales team as the example, you may have a set first message or even message flow. You can measure the number of messages sent against replies. From this data, you can see if you have hit your reply target and if the message needs to be improved.
New hires.
Onboarding is the way every company should start new employees regardless of position. Onboarding itself should be a process and involve the relevant processes to that position. Ultimately a company will want new hires to get up to speed as quickly as possible so that they can provide value to the company ASAP.
By giving a step by step guide to the role it will accelerate this and remove interpretation from individuals.
Cross-departmental communication.
An available process help departments understand what other departments do. This is critical when you are trying to gel a company together. It can go further and allow other departments to have a say in the process so that they get the data or results that they need to do their own job well but at the very least gain an understanding of why something is happening. This is about transparency within the business.
Detail.
A process can be as loose or as detailed as you want. Certain industries will require a very detailed process (Think health and safety aspects). The level of detail can close gaps of what team members do and how they do it. Take a look at your top performer and of your lowest performer. What are they doing differently? A process is a training tool that can increase performance with little effort.
Even as a sole trader it is advisable to write your own processes down. It takes a lot of thinking out of the day and creates more time. Again it gives you the advantage of being able to measure and alter the process as you go until you are getting the result that you want.
Fall in love with the process and add it in as a pillar of success.