Devoted to Managers and those that seek to improve their management skills

When considering the idea of change, we need to understand a key difference between change in practices and change in principles. Practices are part of the continuous, endless series of changes that are part of any business. Principles are what define what a business is, and shouldn't change ever.

How this helps us is that we go away from trying to predict what we want to do, into defining specifically who the company is and what we want. This helps us see clearly the niche we serve, the operational strategies to employ, and the financial health of the company.

When we understand these things, we then can establish goals that are flexible and adjustable and general guidelines to follow, without getting into detailed plans that are difficult to break away from.

The reason we must understand all this is that if a company grows, practices must continually change and adapt; you can't run a company that makes $1 million a year the same way one that makes $50 million.

For example, think of communication across the company as it grows. It's not that the need and principle of communication changes, but the way you do it must if people across a growing company are being kept in the loop concerning everything important that is happening.

The more growth and change there is, the more there must be delegation and letting go by management. Our job increasingly becomes more connected to searching out things that are hindrances to our people and figuring out ways to help them. 

As far as practices go, technology or systems only exist as servants to get a job done; they help us to carry out the purpose of the company. Our people should always be the most important part of our businesses. Understand that, and the ensuing trust that emerges out of that reality will offer opportunities to respond to any changing circumstances.

Keep these principles as the core culture of your company, division or department and you'll always have in place the powerful practice of flexibility and cooperation that is the key to propelling a company forward.