There can be few people who cannot take inspiration from the business acumen of the late, great Steve Jobs, the man who made Apple into a global phenomenon.
But did you know the business principles of the innovative organisation were actually written by a chap called Mike Markkula?
According to biographer Walter Isaacson, Jobs asked Markkula to help prepare his business plan: what he came up with were three enduring tenets for Apple’s marketing philosophy.
The first was empathy with the customer: “We will truly understand their needs better than any other company.”
The second focus: “In order to do a good job of those things that we decide to do, we must eliminate all of the unimportant opportunities.”
And the third was impute: “People form an opinion about a company or product based on the signals that it conveys.”
There can be little doubt that any modern business would benefit from adhering to such principles – however every business, being unique, deserves guiding principles of is very own; it might even have tenets that are particular to certain aspects of the business, such as marketing, finance or sales.
So we’ve put together our very own trinity of business principles to help inspire you to create your own set of “Golden Rules”.
Knowledge isn’t data, it’s people
As any Operations Manager or Team Leader will tell you, everything of value they know comes not from number crunching but from the shared experience of the workforce.
Similarly, a Managing Director will learn what they need to know to advance the company not from number crunching but from continual dialogue with colleagues.
Smart thinking is thinking together.
Everyone has something to say
When any one of your Board of Directors makes a point, they are speaking from a position of authority. They’re listened to because they have experience and a seat at the top table. What they don’t have, however, is exclusive rights to good ideas.
So when your new HR Assistant or Support Officer offers an opinion, be prepared to listen.
Positive change can come from all directions.
Grow your own
If you are not growing, at best you are dormant, half-asleep to opportunity and advantage. Focus on business growth every day and in every way and, even if progress is slow, you are moving forward.
Who will thank you for it? Everyone, from your Board of Directors to your Sales and Finance Managers to the frontline workforce.
Why? Because growth means profits, profits mean funds, funds mean jobs, jobs mean a stronger economy.
In this respect, you can think of growing your own company as also serving your country!