We were sitting in his office, a comfortable place with wood floors, large old fashion double hung windows, and just the right blend of art work and plants to make it a creative and yet relaxing environment. We were visiting about ways to improve the corporation as a whole when he looked up from his performance plan and said: “Can you help me with something? I am not very good at solving this problem.”
“Sure. What’s up?,” I responded.
“All the money is going into the new stuff, which is exciting and fun, but the reality is that the old stuff, which is the foundation of our business, is being forgotten. People are getting sloppy around the edges, and the polish and the reputation, which this company was built on, is being forgotten in the rush to do new and more exciting things. I’m worried that no one cares about the basics - no one is caring for the foundation.”
I have noticed this too as we rush through the early years of the 21st century. Many people are becoming to addicted to speed, to anything new, and to anything that is being sold to us through the latest national best seller book, or podcast. The foundational routine work of life, and of running a successful company are often pushed by the wayside. In short, the fundamentals are getting lost and forgotten in the rush to be innovative and cutting edge.
In reality, it takes innovation and discipline around the fundamentals to survive in the current market economy. The question then for leaders is the following: What are three fundamentals to doing strategic change well, and creating operational excellence well on a daily basis?
First, remove people who take power or infect power with non-authentic values, or who are misaligned with the company’s core values. Recognizing the centrality of relationships to building and maintaining a healthy company culture, and recognizing the importance of trust at the team level, any individual, who chooses to corrupt the core of a team, department, or company, and any leader, who tolerates this choice, needs to work someplace else. If coaching and a performance plan are not helping correct this situation, then engage an HR process for removal.
Second, let that which is dying be dead. There are certain things that are foundational to the on-going success of the company. However, this does not mean that all current systems, programs, and ways of doing business should be maintained no matter what is happening in the external environment. If a way of doing business is no longer viable, then we need to have the strategic and operational clarity and courage to stop doing it. This may be hard, but it also can be liberating.
Third, choose to get closer to the customer. The late Peter Drucker often asked the question, “Who is the customer?”. He also asked a secondarily important question, “What does the customer value?”. This later question can only be answered thoughtfully and respectively when we choose to meet with the customers and to listen to their wants, needs, dreams, and aspirations. When we understand these things with depth and understanding, we can then engage in effectively promoting innovation while maintaining the fundamentals of success.
In retrospect, the fundamentals to life and work, are not always flashy and new. Instead, they require consistent discipline and attention. Still, when done well and often, they can make a profound difference in the quality of innovation and operational excellence that needs to take place each and every day. The challenge is to be committed to this work and to make sure the core of the company is always strong and healthy.
© Geery Howe 2025
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