Strategy is ancient to businesses as the Bible to Christianity. Many organizations have foundered for want of strategic thinkers to set them afloat. Choosing a route to follow to secure a better future for your organization is important as choosing the right executive to head the organization if not more.
The extraordinary performances of hitherto weak businesses in our world today points to a paradigm shift in one area - strategy. It’s foolhardy to stick to one plan for several years without any improved performance or change. Today unlike the past ground we stood, things have changed due to several factors such as technology and internet among others. But of more importance is businesses concern for the environment on which they operate. What has changed businesses is that, they are increasingly getting concerned for the environment and the brand they put out there.
Corporations are implementing Ebola strategies insuring for quality products that infectiously tilt the scale of international market in their favor. The Ebola strategy which stands for Environment, Brand, Output, Leadership and Account has the antibiotic for today’s non-performing corporations.
Environment – awakening the consciousness of your organization towards the environment you operate. This entails the drafting of corporate policies aimed at protecting the office and the community you operate from your shadow consciously or unconsciously. Businesses that are environmentally unconscious get folded up due to poor image kept of them by members of the community and poor patronage for products. Today’s consumer is better positioned to decipher between the lines – businesses that are keener when it comes to matters of environmental sustainability and those that are not. Often they favor the former to the chagrin of the latter. It is un-business to fix the gaze only on the numbers. Companies should reach out to members of the community in their time of need such as helping them solve a major community challenge. Environment is at the bottom of the pyramid of the Ebola strategy followed by brand.
Brand – I see brand as more of the image people have of your organization internally and externally than the product. However, an organization’s products in the market serve to represent its brand – what it stands for in the scale of quality or substandard. Also, what your employees see in the organization forms part of the brand they will carry outside. The sum of what they observe, say and hear go to make the brand or undo it. Every employee is the primary brand ambassador for his/her company. The least miscommunication on their part go a long way to undo the tremendous performances of the organization. Also the image of outsiders about the organization counts that much. This is why it is often important to have a vibrant Research and Development department (R & D) to research into the industry and to sample opinions and an ever ready communication department to jump into the hot soup if the need be to undo some of the bad image out there.
Output – what are you putting out into the public? Is it quality or second-rate? Many businesses could have avoided the bad press they received for one product or the other had they invested quality time into fashioning out superior products. Second-rate products are silent killers of businesses. It feels good to produce goods at a faster rate but the end result lasts forever. Spending quality time for less products but quality is better than the reverse. In fact where are you rushing to? If not into the ashes of history. You will be labeled a business martyr. What an impoverished business martyr.
Leadership – at the second top rank of the Ebola strategy lies leadership. Ancient but necessary. Leadership has been part of God’s design for creation. He placed Adam to the head the family of man and this leadership essence has pierced through history to today. The title of a book I would write in my next world will be titled “Why we don’t need anybody to lead?” but right now, we do. We need leaders to fan the vision of the organization aflame in the hearts of subordinates. However, we must avoid the pitfall of supporting a leader who is masculine conscious without a shred of respect for the quality of feminism. I always advocate for a leader who is “FemCult” concerned. In other words, we must promote, employ and search for leaders who have respect for balance so dear in life. Leaders must aim at creating what I call the feminine culture in their organizations as implementing qualities such as concern for others, emotional intelligence, attention to detail and organization superiority. We don’t need to be all female. We need a little. Now I believe there are times we need to exhibit the qualities so peculiar of masculine as assertiveness, confidence, and go-getter among others.
Account – what is the import of improving your environment, brand, output, and leadership if not for a good accounting health? At the apex of the Ebola strategy pyramid is Account. It represent the break or make of the organization. The ability to survive to see the next century is found here. At the end we need to balance the account book. We need to see the profits margin as big as the ocean if not you will soon be out of business. There are persons in management who connive with auditors and accountants to bring dishonesty to bear in the preparation of their balance sheet. The heart of history books tells us that, it is very easy to be forgotten as a global brand more especially when you indulge in such behaviors. Your profit need to be strong. You will attract and retain the best brains into your outfit if you prioritized the last strategy of Ebola. Motivations for your employees both tangible and intangible could all be summed up with money.
Don’t look for any grandeur strategy immune from defect anywhere in this world because there’s none. All that your organization needs is caution and a little prognosis here and there to forestall future disaster. However, if you are keen to being the leader in your industry take a step to implement the Ebola strategy health.
