I am often surprised by how many people ask me, ‘So what is the secret to success, what is the answer, what are the sure-fire things to do to make a business prosper?’

If it was easy, would everyone get into the business of running their own show?

I read a lot, I go to lots of presentations, and I also meet with many other entrepreneurs. Two years ago I attended a two-day workshop hosted by Entrepreneur’s Organisation in Sydney. If you are a regular reader of this blog you will already know I am a great fan of this program. Verne Harnish, CEO and founder of Gazelles and author of Rockefeller Habits, shared much of what he had learned from interviewing thousands of entrepreneurs over a period of twenty years. He had pulled it all together in a very simple ‘process’ of growth. Can you imagine a one-page strategic plan that does, in fact, represent your direction for the next 30 years?

He shared that, in his experience, the three success factors in creating a culture for growth are:

1. A clearly articulated vision: If people know what they are there to do and are engaged in the vision, engaging the team becomes a much simpler task.

2. Know the numbers/metrics that drive success: These are not always the obvious ones of debtors days or revenue per person. For us it was about finding the number that also encapsulated our vision.

3. Have a communication ‘rhythm’: I never thought that process would set us free, but we saved time by knowing where and when we were meeting with whom. Team huddles and one on one meetings have been great for us.

I believe that knowing these steps is one thing, but delivering upon it is something completely different. The best thing about his program was the stories from other entrepreneurs about how they implemented the program and the results they achieved.

Verne is back on 26-27 February for info Verne in Sydney or Gazelles site

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