This is a collection of ideas and tips for raising the level and, improving the quality of consciousness in a business. Please do add your own!
1. Turn weekly reports into daily reports
2. As a leader, own up to business mistakes and invite your team to reflect and learn from them
3. Identify habits from the past that are still influencing the business in the present, positively or negatively
4. Collect more accurate data on business processes
5. Invite critical feedback from customers and suppliers. Don’t seek praise, seek improvement
6. Have a real conversation on what we all think the business values are/should be
7. Collect more or better environmental data
8. Locate your business on a map. See where your business fits into the world. Put stakeholders onto the map
9. Identify influences on your product or service design.
10 .Ask why we do things, a lot more often
11. Don’t just fix problems, dig down to the root causess
12. Check how accurate the costs data is for your business
13. Carry out a knowledge and skills audit in the business
14. Draw up accurate and up to date process maps for the business
15. Do some statistic forecasting of your business into the future
16. Identify different future scenarios for your business
17. Carry out exit interviews with people leaving – get useful feedback
18. Challenge collusions of mediocrity – where are we avoiding the uncomfortable conversations?
19. Use a devil’s advocate to ask tough questions
20. Improve understanding of the technologies your business is using
21. Allow third party auditing of your business’s processes
22. Check that you are measuring what you should be measuring
23. Leaders should leave their offices more and get to know all staff and the business “on the ground”
24. Simplify reporting structures – less levels in any hierarchy to improve speed of communication
25. Simplify communications
26. Encourage learning from mistakes
27. Encourage different perspectives and points of view when making decisions
28. Model processes in real time using state of the art information technology
29. Be clearer on minimum standards for customer service
30. Develop real time communication systems
31. Take time out from the office to reflect
32. Don’t be afraid of statistical data
33. Involve accountancy more in creating a real time picture of the business
34. Encourage a climate of personal and professional development
35. Identify sources of waste in the business
36.Find about what people value about working in your business – be open to feedback
37. Create space for more impromptu meetings
38. Look for problems to prevent
39. Review all time scales with a reality check
40. Ensure objectives are understood and correctly interpreted
41. Create a real time map of expertise in the organisation
42. Ensure people can find each other in the business for quick and appropriate communication
43. Allow people to rest and reflect. People need to be fresh and awake when they work
42. Nurture a healthy grapevine
43. Make challenge and questioning a virtue
44. Discourage politicking and hidden agendas
45. Pilot, experiment and share results
46. Increase research into “unknowns”
47. Eliminate spin
48. Make consciousness a valued asset
49. Acknowledge and manage for different energy levels and levels of awakeness at different parts of the day
50. Use micro-blogging for quick and easy info sharing
51. Sleep on important decisions
52. Ensure product and service documentation is up to date and accessible
53. Avoid jargon and bullshit
54. Have an authentically shared view of excellence
55. Always include the consequences in decision making conversations
Many more to come.
Paul Levy 