All around the world, there are businesses that are thriving and successful, and there is something to be said for sticking to what you know. However, there is also a strong case for being flexible and open-minded when it comes to business. It can be a little bit scary to make changes to a business, and the way it works, because we don’t want to get it wrong, but if you take care with your actions, research thoroughly any potential issues that might arise, and have a contingency plan in place you should find that being open-minded can bring you great results. But what exactly can we do to become more open-minded to new ideas and why is this seen to be a valuable trait in business?
New Opportunities
Being open to new opportunities will bring plenty of them to your door, opportunities are everywhere, but if we are closed off to the idea of them then we may find ourselves becoming stagnant within your business. When you actively seek out the opinions of others, whether they are aware of your work or not, you can learn a great deal. A great way to seek out information, inspiration, and opportunities are to create surveys, these surveys will bring you answers from survey respondents that you may never have thought of otherwise, and if you aren’t sure how to reach the right people, Pollifish article entitled “5 Survey Distribution Methods To Get More Respondents” will be perfect for you.
The bigger the cross-section of responses the more likely you are to see recurring themes and opportunities. Survey respondents are also not invested in you or your business which is quite often much more valuable since you know you are gaining an unbiased view. This doesn’t mean you have to disregard the opinion of those who know your business well, they can, of course, bring very helpful views to the table, but fresh ideas are important as well.
Delegation
Delegation can be one of the most difficult aspects of running a successful business, especially when you have poured your heart and soul into your business. Some of us spend an incredible amount of time and energy building something from scratch so how do we let control of that go to someone else at some point? Well, first of all, it can be an absolute game-changer. We cannot do ‘it all’ and as a business owner, it’s important that we stay on track with ideas, progression, and overseeing the day to day running as a whole, rather than getting too caught up in the minute detail of everything.
One great way to ensure you feel comfortable sharing the load with others is to simply choose the right team to support your efforts. This is of course easier said than done, but once you have a team that is working well for you, you will see the trust paying off. Having a business that can run without you needing to be involved in every single step is a business that is heading towards success.
Stay Ahead
Whatever happens in business we always want to be ahead of the competition, it just makes sense to have a head start or stand out from the crowd when our ideal customers are actively searching for our products or services. This means that we sometimes need to think differently. Being open-minded to the opportunities to stay relevant and know more about our market means that we can stand out and ensure that we aren’t left behind.
Being open-minded and flexible means we can change with the economic climate, the most up to date news, and the ‘mood’ of the audience we are connecting with. When you stay ahead of the competition you also get to make the rules yourself, so this also makes the next steps easier for you and your business. Being curious, wondering how you can improve the way you do things, and looking at innovative ways of working requires an open mind, and being open to these new ways and ideas is how most businesses ahead of their game get there.
Motivated Workforce
It goes without saying that a motivated workforce will produce better results for you. But it’s not an easy task keeping multiple employees happy, this is where fresh ideas and ways of keeping even the most mundane task enjoyable can bring your overall productivity levels up to a high standard. But where do we get these ideas and how do we know that the changes we make are going to make a difference? You could start by asking the workforce directly, since anything you implement will change how they do things on a daily basis it really makes sense to ask for ideas, suggestions, and requests regularly.
It’s also important to make sure that you monitor and ask for feedback periodically because not everything will work the first time, and not every suggestion will improve the motivation levels of the workforce. However, more and more businesses are realizing that keeping a happy and healthy workforce on their side is a great business sense.
On-site Yoga classes, flexible working, and team building activities are a few things that employees may suggest, and rather than thinking about the cost or time lost, think about how much more productive your team may be, and the long term benefits of this. Often it doesn’t have to be a lot of effort to show your workforce that you care about their happiness at work, so it’s always worth thinking about being a little more flexible.
It goes without saying that the next few years are going to be difficult when it comes to business and really thinking about how you can adapt to the changing ways of working, and what you need to do to stay productive and profitable, is worth spending time on. Whatever happens, if you keep an open mind and take the opportunities that present themselves then you may find a much better path in business than you had even imagined.
