A to Z of people skills – Business focus

Having started this A to Z, I now have a reason to continue and B is Business focus. Whatever business or organisation you are part of, including NFPs and charities and whether you are part of the sales, production or support functions, you have a business purpose. Whilst most business purposes are defined in terms of what they sell and what income they are aiming for, there are many ways to describe the purpose of any role, function, department or organisation.

Are you sure all the people involved in your business understand what that purpose, or business focus is? Is it JUST about the £s?

In order for people to develop the appropriate knowledge, skills and behaviours required to deliver what the business needs, they need to be sure what that is. Maybe one department changes the way it does something, in order to make itself “more effective and efficient” without knowing that this adds far more extra work to another department. Or one of the support departments is tasked with saving costs, so stops buying something they don’t think is very important, without understanding that another department needs that resource on an adhoc basis. Maybe the sales department goes out of its way to improve the sales, without being sure there are enough resources to deliver what the new customers need, in time.

All skills development needs to be appropriate to the business so that the improved skills help the individuals and teams to be more effective and efficient in the delivery of their products and services to customers and to each other – over time. They also need to fit in with the business constraints and culture or be part of planning a change in the culture and processes.