~ by Alan W
South Africa (and indeed the world) is in a tough spot right now. We have forgotten the basics. We've been so prosperous for so long that we took too many things for granted.
We forgot how much work it took to actually build and sustain the basic things that support our prosperity. Things like valuing our employees, putting our employees first, delivering a good service to our clients, putting them first. Appreciating our vendors and suppliers.
We are now faced with re-learning those things. Going back to the basics and re-learning them.
When the competition is better than us, it is not because of trickery or being better intellectually. It is because they out-plan us, they out-strategise us, they out-manufacture us. There is nothing that can't be fixed. But we're not going to fix anything by flying high. Things can only be fixed by getting back to the basics.
One basic yet fundamental thing to do is to treat everyone the same. Whether is is the janitor, the top saleswoman, the CEO of the company, a blue chip client, a new prospect, a returning client, a vendor or service provider. Treat them exactly the same. Each person you meet is the most important person.
Care. Be straightforward. View people optimistically.
Work with Alan W
"Solving niche challenges founders face”.
Illustrator: Lisa Williams (Instagram: @artist_llw)