Stop and think about how you are running your business right now.
Do your ways of working flow?
Are your systems simple and bringing ease to your business functions?
Are your team empowered and confident in executing what they need to?
How your business works is more than each individual part, person, system and process. It’s the sum of all of those things and how they work together so you get the results you want.
If one of those key parts isn’t quite aligned then it can have a huge impact on the whole business.
Synergy is part-defined as “the combined power of a group of things when they are working together that is greater than the total power achieved by each working separately”.
In business that applies to your team, your tech, your processes, if everything is working well together then the results will be greater.
Having greater synergy in business is directly rooted in simplicity and efficiency. It’s not about having a complicated tech stack to do a seemingly ordinary task, or having a lot of checkpoints in a system when it’s not necessary. Over-complication will lead to less productivity.
So how is synergy possible in the day to day running of your business? Let’s take a look.
Team Collaboration
If you work with a team, whether big or small, it’s so important to foster good relationships and ways of working early. Communication is key here, be open, co-create and lead in a way that benefits both you and them to get the best support.
We’ll talk about ways of working in the next point, but it’s really important to make sure you’re playing to the individual strengths of your team members, in how they work and what they do. If they don’t feel empowered, or that what they’re being asked to do is clunky and ill-thought out, you’re not going to get the best from them.
Your team should flow. Good systems and processes, adopting from them what works best in their field, and integrating that will make a huge difference. Step back from the details and look at the overall picture of your team stepping into their roles. Determining how they enhance your business at a higher level will help with day to day workflow.
Working Styles
Your working style matters! You can read more about that here if you’re not sure what I mean [blog link]. It is very common to ignore your working style in order to ‘fit in’ with either what seems to be happening in the business world around us or because you feel that is the way things are done.
It doesn’t have to be that way, and trying to fit you and your business into a working style that doesn’t suit you will only lead to a disconnect, a decrease in productivity and overwhelm.
Two simple examples:
- Do you prefer to work in a concentrated way for a short period of time – often known as a spring – or are you more of a marathon runner when it comes to executing your projects? Trying to work in the opposite way to what feels the most natural to you will make your work much more difficult. You’ll get much better results if you work in the way that suits you best.
- Are you a visual person, or a list person? Try using a list if you prefer the Kanban style of task management and you will soon feel overwhelmed and out of control of what actually needs doing! It’s such a simple thing, but how we present the information to ourselves that we need to take action on will impact our productivity and motivation to get things done.
Technology
I have worked with many businesses who could win awards for the amount of platforms they have to do a simple thing! It seems shiny object syndrome is strong when it comes to the promises of technology and how it can revolutionise the way we work!
As a tech-geek, well integrated technology platforms really enhance a business and can make some areas a lot simpler and more streamlined. Tech has become an essential part of running a business, but only if it’s the right tech. Too much, or the wrong platform can only add to overwhelm as you try and shoe-horn what you do into a platform that isn’t quite right but that you are promised will make a difference!
Audit your business platforms regularly, if they are still making a difference and saving you time and/or money, and are increasing your results with your clients of business growth, they’re a keeper. Anything else really needs to be paused to see if your business can actually work without it! And remember where tech is concerned the free plan will only get you so far!
Are there ways you can tweak your business to make everything work a little better together?
