Positive financials, a stellar brand rep, and glowing customer feedback – all fantastic, right? 📈📈
Positive = good!
But here's a twist – positive feedback loops are not always positive. It depends on your inputs.
These loops can either be your ticket to success or a sneaky path towards a downward spiral, depending on how things are managed.
Let's explore how a seemingly positive loop can, when not kept in check, send a business on a bit of a rollercoaster.
As businesses grow, they naturally expand and innovate, which is awesome.
However, all these additions bring in complexity. And, if left unmanaged, this complexity can overwhelm teams, leading to not-so-great execution.
Poor execution, in turn, spells trouble for process control, and before you know it, the business is in a performance slump.
To counter this, with all the best intentions, businesses might add more processes or people to fix the original problem, starting the loop all over again.
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While the intentions are good, responding reactively to issues as they pop up creates this never-ending loop that intensifies your existing challenges rather than solving them. It's a bit like chasing your tail, but fear not – we've got some advice to break free from this cycle.
Here are a few ✅dos, ❌don’ts and💡suggestions.
❌ React to issues as they arise, implementing short term band-aid solutions.
✅ Investigate to understand the root cause of the issue.
💡 Run the issue you’re trying to solve through the 5WHY model.
❌ Add process without considering the change impacts.
✅ Consider the impact of the change on various aspects of your business including people and other processes.
💡 Run the proposed change through a management of change assessment.
❌ Ignore employee feedback.
✅ Actively seek and respond to employee feedback.
💡 Implement a structured feedback mechanism that allows employees to express their opinions (anonymously if they prefer).
If you're feeling stuck in a repetitive cycle, please know that you're not alone. Many businesses have found themselves in the same situation, feeling like there's no way out.
But we can assure you, there absolutely is.
Sometimes, you need to take a step back before moving forward. And hey, an outside perspective can really help you spot opportunities in what may seem like chaos.
Feeling ready to break free from the cycle?
Share your experiences with us, and together we can explore how other businesses have successfully escaped similar situations and find your custom path to success.
