Process, Only Process

One of the heartwarming “Indian” stories of the Olympics is that of the shooting contingent. Inclusive of Manu Bhaker’s heroics, we won 3 medals but there were three 4^th place finishes too. A redemption, not having won since 2012 London.

A facet that all shooters highlighted in the Olympics was their focus on process. Each of them had a routine and they had to follow it to a tee. Come what may. Irrespective of where they stand, how their last shot was, what their personal or mental situation was. And that to the best of their knowledge takes the pressure out of these situations. It was boring, monotonous, repetitive but yielded results.

This orientation on process is not just important in sports, but more so in business. At @OfBusiness and @Oxyzo, we have succeeded wherever we have focused on process and failed when we haven’t. Exceedingly and miserably, respectively.

5 tenets that we have seen at work for both success and the lack of it –

1.        Orientation – Has to start right at the top. CEO downwards.

2.        Recognition – Operations, risk and finance teams should be treated as business enablers or leaders, better the latter.

3.        Presence of SOPs – If we don’t have a SOP, we need to make one. It has to be made by the most senior person. And everyone needs to know them by heart.

4.        Training on SOPs – Each item needs to be understood, reinforced and refreshed through training, and no amount of training is sufficient.

5.        Punishment for non-adherence – If one does not follow the SOP, there are two scenarios. If justified, we modify. If unjustified, the errant should be punished. Heavily. Publicly.

Ops is king. In any business. In any situation. At any cost. Unless understood, a business won’t succeed, and no sportsperson will ever win a medal.

#lifeatofbusiness
#lifeatoxyzo