In lumea afacerilor, schimbarea vine mai repede decat ne-am astepta. Noi tehnologii intra brusc pe piata, preferintele consumatorilor se modifica, economiile se transforma. E foarte bine sa le cereti angajatilor sa intampine schimbarea cu bratele deschise si sa dea dovada de creativitate, dar acest lucru nu va solutiona temerile (nici pe ale lor, nici pe ale voastre)!
Cum se asigura un antreprenor care se pregateste sa-si lanseze un business ca si-a ales partenerul potrivit? am fost intrebat de Allan Kahoya din Kenia.
Cum ii ajutati pe angajatii in varsta sa se adapteze unui mediu de lucru tot mai schimbator si sa faca fata noilor cerinte pe care le impune munca? Ce pot face angajatorii, in genere, ca sa ii valorifice mai bine pe acesti seniori?
„Grupul pe care il detineti are sute de companii diferite – cum reusiti sa le tineti in frau si sa le faceti sa produca rezultatele scontate?“ Aceasta intrebare mi-a fost expediata de Robert Cheng, din Taiwan. Raspunsul scurt este ca ma bazez pe o echipa grozava de directori si de top manageri, precum si pe toti angajatii care lucreaza pentru Virgin in intreaga lume. Dar cum construirea grupului a fost un proces de durata, pentru raspunsul pe larg s-ar cere sa aruncam o privire asupra modului in care echipa a ajuns in acest punct.
„Cum poate proprietarul unei afaceri mici sa puna bazele unei culturi de corporatie asa cum are grupul Virgin?“
Cum poate un manager sa-si imputerniceasca angajatii astfel incat acestia sa nu se simta niciodata incorsetati, ba mai mult, sa apeleze oricand la bunul simt? Intrebarea mi-a fost trimisa de Kiambati Kellen, din Nairobi, Kenya.
Timp de zece ani, Virgin Trains transportase in conditii de siguranta pe calea ferata milioane de pasageri pe intreg teritoriul Marii Britanii. Dar seara zilei de 23 februarie ne-a schimbat viata tuturor. Pasagera Margaret Masson a incetat din viata si alte cinci persoane au fost grav ranite cand trenul de mare viteza Pendolino a deraiat.
De regula, din momentul in care afacerea se extinde si CEO-ul (ori antreprenorul) ajunge sa isi mute biroul la ultimul etaj al cladirii, mai devreme sau mai tarziu incepe sa piarda contactul cu angajatii si clientii.
Lucrurile care ma motiveaza pe mine s-au schimbat foarte mult in ultimii 40 de ani. Privind retrospectiv, este clar ca e un proces continuu si ca pe masura ce trece timpul capat noi si noi motivatii.
In scoala de afaceri vi se spune sa intrati in businessul pe care-l cunoasteti cel mai bine si ca din cele 20 de branduri aflate in topul mondial, 19 activeaza intr-un singur domeniu.
Sa zicem ca aveti o idee de afacere – despre care credeti ca are potentialul de a schimba cu adevarat industria. Ati formulat o promisiune de business catre potentialii clienti, cat mai pe intelesul lor. Ati strans capitalul necesar, ati adunat echipa si ati mediatizat noua voastra afacere prin toate mijloacele disponibile. Ce urmeaza sa faceti?
Q: I recently became my own boss, joining forces with my brother, who has an established operation. I am very much enjoying this experience, but the challenges of finding ways to draw attention to our business and earn customers’ trust are extremely tough.
Q: How do you let go? I truly believe in empowering the right people, listening to them, and stepping aside to allow them to succeed. At what point in your amazing journey did you learn that you had to let go?
Jeff Hensley, United States
Q: We’ve been trying to find a way to improve communication with our customers, but neither our website nor our Facebook page is producing results. What would you suggest? – Billy Loaiza Rivera, Medellin, Colombia
I am incredibly lucky to be able to live in the British Virgin Islands, one of the most beautiful spots on the planet. My family’s home is on Necker Island, which is both our home and a luxury resort. Here, I’m much more likely to do my thinking in an office hammock rather than an office chair. This often sets my mind wandering as I contemplate the business of entrepreneurship.
For a long time, the terrible Space Shuttle Challenger disaster of 1986 appeared to have ended our dream of space flight’s ever expanding beyond the preserve of government-funded missions and a few highly trained explorers.
I visit Africa often, and it is apparent that a “yes, we can” attitude is spreading across the continent, as awareness of its business and investment opportunities reaches around the globe.
Restructuring is a difficult process, right? It can be. Even if you’ve done everything right, sometimes you have to take your company in a new direction because circumstances and opportunities have changed. Companies aren’t future-proof – no company lasts forever.
The United Nations climate change conference in Cancun in early December was met with negativity and apathy. As I took part in the meetings, it was clear that after the failure of the Copenhagen talks late last year, there would be no agreement on reducing emissions and tackling climate change. But there is too much at stake for us to give up and go home. It is now up to the business community to take the lead – and with a little help from government, we can succeed.
Conferinta Organizatiei Natiunilor Unite privind incalzirea globala, desfasurata in decembrie la Cancun a fost intampinata cu scepticism si apatie.
