What Drives An Intelligent Business?

Written by Adam Foster

4th November 2021

Have you ever thought ‘I’ll never do that again’ or heard the words “come on use your brain.” 

These often come from things like touching something hot, falling over that thing you just couldn’t be bothered to pick up or having the hangover from hell the day after the night before.

Words of wisdom from a well trodden path. Whether it’s advice that we receive or the experiences we make, it’s often the catalyst to make us improve and helps us make (hopefully better) decisions in the future.

When it comes to business you probably know what you want to achieve but you don’t know fully how to go about it. To close the knowledge gap or get useful tips it makes sense to do research, learn from and speak to those who have already experienced the journey you want to take.

After all, building a business is hard enough without having to sink every piece of your being into something that can be fast tracked and thus saving part of your very soul. The trade off is there is usually an initial up front investment whether that be time, finances or maybe a mixture of both.

Thinking on a short term level the initial investment can seem daunting, especially when its an unknown.

Reading books, listening to podcasts, attending seminars, and indulging in other media types can get you the knowledge and years of experience that other have acquired. It doesn’t mean you have to take that specific advice or implement it in the exact way, but you will have a greater idea of the potential pits of despair.

You may choose to bring in a guide to help you along or bring in an implementer to shorten that gap further. 

These routes can save you so much time, effort and money in the long term, as well as increasing your education along the way. 

Ultimately, it’s about what is the right approach for you and your circumstances are likely to direct your thinking. 

You may have the great ability to always make that good judgement call, that well calculated decision or have that prophet like ability. You may just follow your gut instinct but ultimately the quality of the decisions and the subsequent actions will go a long way to deciding the success and longevity of the company.

Working in an intelligent way can come in many forms and certainly in many levels. Using a blunt axe to chop down a tree will get you there quicker than using a carving knife, but what if that axe was sharp or even better what if you had a chainsaw.

Let’s give an example, what if you were paid for chopping down 10 trees at £100 each. That’s £1,000 worth of work and all you have to do is get it done.

The next part is completely relevant to how you want to spend your time, effort and energy. I’d also say it depends if you have other clients wanting your services or if you even want to do more of that type of work.

A blunt axe is going to take a lot longer to get the job done but if that’s the only tool you have then you have no additional expense other than your time. A small investment in time and materials to sharpen that axe will reap rewards at a minimal cost. If you want to squeeze every last penny out of the work then you may choose to take more of the money, leave the axe blunt and invest more of your blood, sweat and tears.

Opt to buy a chainsaw (and use it correctly) then you will be gaining back time at the expense of your purchase. This is how companies scale, work more efficiently and intelligently. 

When you have other clients you can service their needs and solve their problems quicker, with less effort. You are projecting forward and looking at how the culmination of your up front investment will yield greater returns financially, physically and emotionally.

 

Our definition of working in an intelligent way includes:

  • Creating a vision for the future of the company, designing the plan to make that happen then utilising the best resources to implement it.
  • Working in the most efficient way possible so that the required results are delivered for the least stress and pain.
  • Being able to make informed decisions based on accurate and relevant information.
  • Utilising the resources available to the best of your ability to gain the maximum returns.
  • Leveraging the assets that your people have in the right way so they can be the most productive without them suffering from being burned out.
  • Providing the tools, skills and education that helps shorten the gap to success.
  • Not repeating the same mistakes time and time again.
  • Thinking and acting in a progressive way that will benefit the long term future of the business and the people within.
  • Having the information and ability to adapt to the changing landscape successfully and in a timely manner.
  • Reducing the risk to the company where sensible so progress can be made in other areas of the business without having to constantly worry about ‘what if.’ 

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