Does your team understand the difference between profit and revenue?

Running a profitable business is a big challenge. Fifty percent of businesses started in the U.S. fail within the first 5 years. Why? Because they are unable to create a profitable business model. 

While there are many different factors that play into running a profitable business, in this article, we’re going to focus on just one simple fact: the difference between revenue and profit. The distinction matters, and it helps immensely if the entire team has the same understanding of what profit is.

If you are the owner, it might seem like profit is an obvious fact, but that assumption could be hurting you. Profit is often confused with revenue, and understanding the difference empowers each employee to help achieve a profitable business.

Defining revenue and profit

Revenue refers to the money that you collect. This is the money that comes in from customers in exchange for your product or service. Revenue is the most visible number—it’s the number on all the jobs you’re winning and the number on the checks that you get from customers. Because it’s the money coming in, it’s the number everyone sees.

Revenue is also the number that is the simplest. The money that a business receives is straightforward, especially in comparison to the various expenses it must cover. Every business owner knows that if there’s going to be any money left at the end of the day, revenue must be enough to cover all expenses.

Profit, on the other hand, is a financial gain—essentially, it’s the difference between the amount earned and the amount spent in buying, operating, or producing something. Profit is the difference between the amount of money that is earned and the amount that is spent.

Profit is not as simple or straightforward as revenue; it can be challenging to calculate. A business owner must account for fixed and variable expenses, known expenses and ones that just pop up. Profit in one month doesn’t guarantee profit in the next, so profitable months must be able to cover those that aren’t. (For more on the different between profit and revenue, see our book Business Model, available on Amazon.)

Misunderstandings concerning revenue and profit

A common area of misunderstanding is for employees to think that the business owner gets to keep all of the money that they collect (revenue). Oftentimes, this is due to the fact that employees are on the front lines of interactions with customers and therefore see or are involved with the transactions that bring in cash. They may not be as aware of all the ways in which the business spends money—beginning with salaries but extending to areas such as rent, insurance, cost of goods, supplies, utilities, and more.

A related misunderstanding is when employees assume that if revenue is coming in, profit is guaranteed. Business owners know that’s not the case, but it’s a fact that can be easily overlooked. If revenue is the end of the story for employees, they don’t have the information they need to make informed decisions about how the company should operate.

Benefits to helping your employees understand the difference between revenue and profit

One of the primary benefits to employees understanding the difference between revenue and profit is that they are empowered to make decisions that increase profitability. Decisions made at every level of the organization determine profitability, so it makes a tangible difference when everyone shares the same understanding.

“One of the primary benefits to employees understanding the difference between revenue and profit is that they are empowered to make decisions that increase profitability.”

For example, an employee who is sourcing materials for the company’s new widget will be looking not just at the cost of raw materials, but also their long-term durability. Why? Because a better, longer-lasting widget reduces warranty claims and benefits the company in the long run, and the employee understands that better profit margins are directly tied to the viability of the company. The employee begins to make decisions more like the business owner.

Another advantage is that the employees are more in-tune with reality. Reality for a small business owner means that they must be making a profit in order to fund the business and keep the doors open. If an employee has a wrong idea about the motivation to make money—thinking it’s for greed rather than the ability to continue running—they’re not as likely to be engaged.

Employees might think that as long as the company is selling its goods and the lights are on in the building, everything is fine; their jobs are secure. But it’s quite possible they’re not considering factors like how it’s necessary to bring in enough revenue during busy times to make up for slow times. Or that, while expenses can fluctuate a great deal, it’s always difficult to raise prices.

In general, most businesses are less profitable than people assume. Employees aren’t always aware of how things like insurance premiums, payroll taxes, and overhead can eat away at profits. Being clear on what profits are and how they are affected will help employees at every level make smart choices every day.

Profitability matters to everyone, not just the owner. Without profit, there is no company. Employees who understand that fact will feel more invested and be more engaged. We encourage you to share the simple definitions of revenue and profit from this article with your team. Adopting clear language that has a shared, consistent meaning to the entire organization provides a framework for everyone to communicate about profit.

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The differences between revenue and profit are part of the Business Model program – one of the 11 elements of an exceptional business. To learn more about these concepts, get a copy of the Business Model book on Amazon. Our mission is to multiply the number of exceptional businesses globally. Join the conversation on LinkedIn.

How to sell consulting services to small business owners

In our previous post, we focused on ways to successfully market yourself as an adviser to small business owners. In this article, we’re going to talk about how to sell to small business owners.

To clarify, and make sure we’re all on the same page, marketing and sales are two distinct functions of a business. The purpose of marketing is to generate leads, while the purpose of sales is to convert those leads into revenue.

In the context of this discussion, marketing your consulting services to small business owners is meant to raise awareness and create connections that are strong possibilities for future clients. As we enter the sales phase of the process, we’re transitioning to interacting with someone who is already aware of who you are and has some degree of interest in what you offer.

With a sales hat firmly in place, the following tips will help you to close the deal and generate revenue by bringing on a new client.

1. Understand what the business owner needs
The challenges of owning a business change as the business grows. If you are going to sell your services, you need to be able to stand in that owner’s shoes and understand those challenges. After all, you can’t offer viable solutions if you don’t first understand the challenges. If you haven’t had similar experience to what the business owner is going through, it can be an uphill battle to convince them that you can add value. A solid framework such as Organizational ReWilding can be a powerful way to understand, relate, and make sense of their situation.

A big advantage to using a framework based on the stages of business growth is that you know not only what the customer is experiencing today but also what challenges to expect tomorrow. You can speak to solutions that will get them past their current problems and provide strategies for avoiding, minimizing, or preparing for future challenges.

2. Prove that you have something of value to offer
Small business owners are notoriously self-reliant. They’re accustomed to tackling challenges using their own resources. Asking for help is not typically part of their process. If you’re going to make the sale, you need to give them proof, or at the very least confidence, that you have something to offer that benefits them.

There’s more than one way to accomplish this, but here are some suggestions.

• Connect them with a past client; referrals are an excellent way to establish trust.

• Provide them with data and stories of past experiences that show you understand their challenges and have helped others successfully navigate through them.

• To the extent possible, give them a way to try for themselves without being locked into a long-term commitment

3. Be clear on the outcomes
Nobody wants to spend money without being clear on what they’re getting in exchange. When you make a proposal, be sure to delineate exactly what the client can expect in return. Don’t promise the moon unless that’s what you’re selling. Establish some metrics and talk about reasonable outcomes as well as timeframes. If you’re creating structure with your client that will take a few months to yield a measurable return, make that clear.

4. Help them understand the value
As a small business owner who is constantly being sold various products and services, it can be difficult to get past the numbers to the left of the dollar sign. To help make the point clear that your services will bring a return, break it down. What will it mean in terms of revenue if the owner can increase repeat business by 30%? How much will the owner save if employee retention improves? One question that can be effective is to ask how much they stand to lose if they don’t solve the problem. Status quo is the biggest obstacle to consultants but standing still—doing nothing—doesn’t mean there’s no movement. It usually means movement in the wrong direction, going backwards instead of forward.

The consulting services you have to offer can make the difference between a small business that succeeds and one that fails. With these tips in mind, we hope that you successfully earn the trust of that next client.

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The ReWild Group Network is an active group of consultants who share tips and experiences to help build each other’s business. More collaborative than competitive, ReWilders believe in the value of going together in order to go further. Are you a consultant looking for a strong community and effective framework? We’d love to hear from you! Learn more here.

How to grow revenue as a small business

If you’re like most small business owners, you’re feeling the pinch of today’s economy. As you look for ways to increase revenue, it’s important not to overlook all of your options. The good news is that there are probably more ways to grow revenue than you might think.

We’ve found it’s common for businesses to focus on just one way to increase revenue, which is by getting new customers. While that’s a viable option, it also tends to be the most expensive one and can take the longest to pay a return. In fact, there are three simple ways to increase revenue that apply to almost every business. In this article, we expand on the three ways to increase revenue to give you more options for your business.

#1: Increase New Customers

As we’ve already alluded to, the first way to increase revenue is by increasing the number of new customers you attract to your business. This is the option most people think about when they think about growing revenue. It’s about going out to the market and capturing customers you didn’t have before.

To illustrate what this looks like in action, take the example of a restaurant. The owner can attract new customers by sending direct mail to surrounding residents. Another possibility is to offer a special to local businesses on first-time catering orders. The cost to print and send flyers is minimal, and an influx of new customers would quickly cover the expense.

To increase new customers, you might:

1. Offer a new customer discount.

2. Start a referral program that rewards customers who send new clients your way.

3. Attend events (local, charitable, industry, etc.) to get exposure to new customers.

#2: Increase the Transaction Frequency

A second way to increase revenue is by increasing the transaction frequency.  Put another way, this means increasing how often your customers buy from you.

Going back to our restaurant illustration, let’s say the owner wants to increase the number of times a customer comes to her restaurant. One way to offer incentives is to hand out lunch coupons to dinner guests. By doing that, she’s capturing a crowd that might typically only go out to eat for dinner, but with a coupon in hand are far more likely to go out for lunch, too.

A second way she could increase transaction frequency is by offering a new option—something like Sunday brunch. The restaurant isn’t normally open for breakfast, but Sunday brunch is a popular meal to eat out and opens up the possibility of getting customers in for an additional visit.

To increase the transaction frequency, you might:

1. Pre-sell multi-visit services at a discount.

2. Offer a rewards program that allows customers to earn points for every dollar spent, then turn those point in for free services or products.

3. Communicate regularly with your customers (email check-ins, text messages, social media, etc.) so that you’re not forgotten.

#3: Increase the Transaction Amount

The third way to increase revenue is by increasing the average transaction amount. This means that each time a customer makes a purchase, on average they purchase more products and services.

The restaurant owner decides to train her servers on how to upsell items to the customers—things like appetizers, desserts, and drinks. Rather than simply taking a person’s order, the servers are automatically working suggestions into every interaction they have with a customer. Simple questions like, “Can I bring you a glass of wine?” or “Have you tried the new queso yet? People love it!” are making a difference in raising the average ticket price.

To increase the transaction amount, you might:

1. Raise prices.

2. Offer bundled services that help customers try services they might not buy a la carte.

3. Give free samples to allow customers to try new products.

In most businesses, there are things that can be done to grow revenue in all three of these ways. However, for any given business some of these ways might be easier or more applicable than others. Take a few moments to consider ways that you can implement one or all of these suggestions into your business.

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The universal ways to grow revenue are part of the Business Model program – one of the 11 elements of an exceptional business. Our mission is to multiply the number of exceptional businesses globally. Join the conversation on LinkedIn.

How to market consulting services to small businesses

As a small business consultant, you have a wealth of information and years of experience. You’re also keenly aware that there are many businesses in need of help. The question is … how do you reach them? How do you hold their attention long enough to explain what you do?

Unfortunately, it’s not as simple as hanging a sign on your door. The public square is big, busy, and crowded, and it’s not easy to get noticed. If you are a consultant—and especially if you are just starting out—your first job is to market yourself and your services. Expect to invest a great deal of time and energy into marketing, at least for the first few years. After you’ve gained a steady client base, you won’t have to invest quite as much time, but marketing is still an important functional area of business for any self-employed individual.

To help you make the most of your time and effectively raise awareness of your services, we’ve put together three tips on how to market to small business owners. (For tips on how to sell to small business owners, click here.)

1. Know what you’re selling.

This may seem too basic to be mentioned, but it’s overlooked more often than you realize. You need to be absolutely clear about your product or service, the pricing, and the pain it will help your clients solve. As a consultant, are you selling your time? A specific outcome? Or is it a program? Detail everything that is included with your services and think through possible items that should be excluded. Are you willing to travel, for example? If so, who is responsible for those expenses? What about materials—are they included in your consulting fee or are they extra?

If you’re not clear on what you’re selling, none of your prospective clients will be either. And they’re not going to buy what they don’t understand.

Now is the time to think through all of these details, not when you are face-to-face with a prospect and find that you can’t answer their questions. You risk looking unprepared, which undermines your ability to deliver on the engagement. You also risk giving a premature answer that could a) cut into your profitability, or b) cause you to overshoot and lose the deal.

2. Know who you’re selling to.

You don’t need everyone in the world to know what you offer to get a steady client base, but you do need to be heard by the right people. This begs the question … who are the right people?

Essentially, the right people are the ones you most want to work with. They’re the people who would benefit from your service, are likely to work with you, and are able to afford it. They are your target audience.

Think of your target audience as the center of the bullseye. These are the people you want to reach, and in order to do that, you need to speak directly to them; you need to understand their language, their pain points, and their goals. Drawing from your experience (or that of others), put together a picture of your ideal client so that you know how to talk to that person. What is that person’s primary obstacle or frustration? What are they trying to achieve, and what’s standing in their way? Think about geography. Are you looking for local clients or are you willing to do virtual sessions? Do you prefer working with one industry in particular, or are you comfortable working with clients from a variety of industries?

Remember, you’re thinking in terms of the ideal, so it’s okay if this ends up looking like a wish list. That’s actually a good thing, because you’re only going to recognize a good client if you know what you’re looking for.

When you understand your target audience, you’re going to speak more clearly to them than if you are trying to appeal to all people everywhere. Once you have a sketch of the people you want to work with, keep them in the front of your mind. When you’re writing posts on social media, pitching a workshop, or attending a networking event, speak to your target audience. The people that aren’t in your audience won’t respond, but the ones that are will. Bullseye!

3.  Engage in multiple marketing activities.

Marketing precedes selling. We think of it like this: marketing generates leads and sales turns leads into revenue. So, if you want to sell to small business owners, you have to start by marketing to them.

Don’t expect one type of marketing to be enough; instead, come up with a list of several marketing activities that you’re willing to pursue. Think about where your target audience spends time and try to engage them where they are. Maybe that’s virtually, on professional networking sites, or maybe it’s in person at a conference or dinner event.

Make a schedule of when and how you will spend time on marketing. Set goals so that you’re motivated to hit specific numbers each week or each month, whether that’s the number of emails you send, number of new contacts made on social media, or number of phone calls you have with prospective clients. If you focus on hitting your numbers, you are less likely to become discouraged if you don’t close any deals. That discouragement can lead to you quitting the marketing activity before it’s had time to work. Keep working on the parts you can control, and the outcomes will follow. Don’t rely on feelings or intuition to tell you when and how to reach out to people. Set a schedule and stick to it.

You will spend more time and effort on marketing in the early years of your career as a business consultant than you will later on. The key is to keep going. Don’t expect clients to line up at your door, but have confidence in yourself and the value of what you’re offering. Engage in consistent, targeted marketing efforts, and your work will be rewarded.

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At the ReWild Group, our mission is to multiply the number of exceptional businesses globally. We share resources, ideas, and advice in advance of that mission. If you are interested in joining us in our mission, visit our page for Advisers today!

Four elements of new-hire training you can’t afford to skip

When you bring on a new employee to your team, the first few weeks are extremely important. Those initial impressions and moments can shape the entire trajectory of that person’s tenure with the company—whether it’s brief or lengthy, good or bad, mutually beneficial or filled with conflict.

Employers aren’t likely to skip foundational things with a new employee, like setting up their computer or giving them a copy of the employee handbook. There are other steps, though—steps often overlooked—that are just as critical to setting the stage for an employee’s success.

Here are four important principles to keep in mind when you are onboarding new employees:

1. Set conscious expectations – The training that you provide in those first few days is setting up expectations for the new employee. You’re training them on more than just the work that they will be doing; you’re also introducing them to the culture of your company. Signals are being absorbed by the new person when it comes to things like the degree of organization, the amount of joking versus serious discussion, and whether meetings begin and end on time. Consciously or not, he or she will form lasting impressions during the training period of what is expected down the road.

2. Be open and honest – Ideally, your new hire will last and prove to a be a valuable addition to your team. Be crystal clear during the training period on what the job requires. Employees are more likely to stay if what they hear during the first weeks of training is consistent with their experience down the road. Clarity and consistency build trust, which, translated over time, leads to loyalty.

3. Set high standards – You can always scale back the pace or the amount of work that you’re expecting from a new employee, but it’s very difficult to get someone to significantly increase their output once the initial standard has been set. Establish a fast pace and continue to put new things in front of your employees. If they can keep up during those first few days, when everything is new, you can have confidence that they’ll continue to be effective team players in the weeks and months ahead.

4. Look ahead - Equip your new employees for today while inspiring them for tomorrow. Give them a vision of where the company is headed and how they fit into that picture. Offer opportunities for ongoing training that extend beyond the parameters of their current position. Help them grow towards where they want to be.

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Setting the stage for an employee’s success is just one of the ways you can make your business an exceptional place to work. At the ReWild Group, we’ve identified through research the 11 elements of an exceptional business. Learn more about them here.

Improve accountability in the office with these three simple words

Do you feel frustrated because your employees aren’t taking ownership of their work? Does it seem like you have to constantly send reminders and follow-up with your employees before a task is completed?

If so, you’re not alone. Employee accountability is a big issue for business owners. Ideally, every person who is hired to join a company will take full responsibility for his or her work and even go above and beyond when the occasion requires. The reality, though, is often different. It’s not uncommon for business owners to struggle with getting employees to fulfill their responsibilities.

It should also be stated that accountability goes both ways. There are steps the employer can take to better manage expectations and to measure how well the employee is fulfilling those expectations.

The solution we present in this article is effective because it goes both ways—it applies to both the employer and the employee. The three key words to remember are expect, support, and reward. They keep employers in the right frame of mind to set employees up for success and they keep employees in a positive cycle of effort and performance.

The concepts are simple yet powerful. Following is a brief explanation of each one.

Expect

Set clear expectations for your employees. It isn’t reasonable to assume that they will automatically pick up on what those expectations are—they need to be articulated, preferably in writing. It’s easy to forget that what seems obvious to you is more about what you’re accustomed to or are taking for granted. You can’t be too clear about what you expect from your team. Be specific about hours (arrival and departure times, or logging-in times if remote); clothing attire; advance notice about absences; performance metrics (number of sales calls, amount of product stocked, etc.), and anything else that plays a part in your expectations.

For some people, it can feel uncomfortable to be straightforward about expectations, which is a big reason why this step is often missed. As a leader, though, part of your responsibility is to make sure the expectations are clear so you have something to which you can hold your employees accountable.

Support

Now that your employees are clear on your expectations, have you supplied them with everything they need in order to be successful? If employees don’t have the tools, resources, or training to do a job that has been assigned to them, they aren’t going to take accountability seriously. If they do, they’ll be extremely frustrated and not likely to last long in the position. Make it clear how you’ve equipped them to do the work, whether that’s through providing the systems and processes, or by simply being available to answer questions.

This isn’t to say that as an employer you are solely responsible for the actions of your team and their satisfaction with their jobs. However, it’s an important step in two-way accountability. When you tell your employees the work they are expected to do, they need to have confidence that they will have access to everything they need in order to fulfill those responsibilities.

Reward

Yes, you’re paying your employees to do a job, and if you’ve made it clear what that job is and provided them with everything they need to do it, it may seem reasonable to conclude that the paycheck is the reward. However, if you want a business that is exceptional—a place where people love to work and is full of energy—you’ll gladly take the extra step of rewarding employees who perform well.

Think of a reward as the flip side of the same accountability coin. When employees underperform, we hold them responsible. Rewards are simply holding them accountable for positive outcomes.

It doesn’t have to be an expensive gift, either; a reward can be as simple as an announcement to the team, an email to the employee, or an acknowledgment of their performance during a one-on-one review. Whatever it looks like, let your team know that they are appreciated. You’ll find that the effort you invest in this area will more than pay off in the added accountability you’ll get in return.

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At the ReWild Group, our mission is to multiply the number of exceptional businesses globally. We share resources, ideas, and advice in advance of that mission. Learn more about management topics by reading our book Strong Management Team, available through Amazon.

Three hiring tips to ensure employees are a good fit

Finding and hiring good employees has always been a challenge for business owners, but it’s especially true today. The labor market is tight, leading to higher expectations from employees for special perks or accommodations, and less incentive to stay. Even a successful company that is well-run and has a healthy workplace environment can find it difficult to retain employees.

Needless to say, a great deal of time and effort go into hiring a new employee, which makes the question of how to find good people—people who are the right fit for a company—more pressing than ever. In this article, we’ll share three hiring tips that can be used to help ensure that each new employee is a good fit for the team.

1. Look for transferable skill sets – When you are considering a potential candidate for a job opening, look past the job titles from her resume and pay close attention to the work that the job entailed. Just because the job title isn’t an exact match with the one you’re hiring for doesn’t mean that the candidate isn’t qualified. Look for broader skill sets that could play into the role.

   For example, let’s say you’re looking to add a customer service rep to your team. It’s a junior-level position, so you’re not trying to find someone with years of experience. However, as a small company, it’s critical that every member be a full contributor. The candidate you are considering has never been a customer service rep before, but she worked retail jobs through college. During the interview, you come to discover that she loves working with people and is resourceful in finding ways to help them. She thinks well on her feet and has the kind of upbeat energy you want for your brand. Without having customer service experience per se, this person has enough transferable skills, coupled with the right attitude and natural abilities, to do very well in the role.

2. Establish clear roles & responsibilities – One of the most foundational things employers can do to attract the best people is to be clear and detailed about what the role entails and what the responsibilities include. This is not to say that there won’t be some amount of fluctuation in the position, especially if the person stays for a significant length of time. However, when a new employee begins, there should be consistency between the job that was described and the work he is expected to do.

   Consistency, thoroughness, getting to the details and considering all aspects of a position—these things are time-consuming but well worth the effort. It's easy for employers to forget the unique perspective they hold, coming from within the company, and assume prospective employees share the same knowledge. In truth, when people are accustomed to a work environment, they take certain things for granted. Before advertising for a job, take the time to ensure the description you’re presenting is as accurate as possible. During the interview process, go over the description and ask questions; allow the candidate to ask questions, too. Eliminating the guesswork will provide clarity for both sides.  

3. Start with strong Brand & Core Values – An often-overlooked component of good hiring practices, Brand & Core Values are critical to attracting the right employees. Brand Values are essentially a company’s promise to the market, while Core Values are the promise to the team. Both speak to the ideal experience that the company strives to create, whether that’s for their clients or for the employees as they work together on a daily basis. A company that clearly states those values to potential employees is setting expectations right from the start. Someone who finds those expectations unreasonable or unappealing is less likely to take the job, which saves both parties from wasted time.

   Another advantage to being clear on Brand & Core Values is that an employee who is in alignment with those ideals is more likely to stay with the company, even in cases when there are other, more lucrative opportunities available. Brand & Core Values function like glue in keeping a company united behind the same ideals and in keeping customers coming back for more products or services.

Good employees are the strength of every successful business. While you can’t control many things about the applicant pool, you can do a lot to ensure that you’re creating the best conditions in order to attract, recognize, and retain the best candidates.

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At the ReWild Group, our mission is to multiply the number of exceptional businesses globally. In this article, we’ve touched on two of the 11 Elements of an Exceptional Business – Brand and Core Values and Organizational Structure. Click to learn more about the guidebooks for each of the elements, and start the journey towards making your workplace exceptional.

Three ways to improve employee disengagement

Gallup recently reported that the percentage of engaged workers in the U.S. in 2021 was just over one-third (34%), and that a full 16% of employees were actively disengaged in their work and workplace. This marks a decline from 2020, and the first decline in more than a decade.

Given these troubling numbers, there’s a good chance you are facing that same challenge in your workplace. While there is plenty of speculation about what might be the reasons for the disengagement, the questions that we’re going to address in this article are 1) How can you tell if your employees are disengaged? and 2) What can you do about it?

Three signs that your employees are disengaged

1. Slow to voice opinions or share ideas

   When you hold team meetings where group participation is encouraged, do all of your employees actively participate? Is there room for general discussion and shared opinions, or do a handful of people tend to dominate the room? While it’s natural and healthy that some people will speak up more than others, a red flag to look for is when one of your employees never voices his or her opinion or contributes to group discussions. This is especially true if the person used to be more involved—but even for someone who tends to be reserved, a sure sign of disengagement is if they never speak up or share their thoughts and ideas with the rest of the group.

2. Decline in quality of work

   In the same way, an employee who used to take pride in her work and paid close attention to detail but now makes frequent mistakes is sending a signal. She no longer has the motivation she once did to do her best. Maybe you’re noticing something small like skipping steps at closing time, or maybe it’s something bigger like missing client deadlines. Whatever the case, an employee who no longer performs at the same level she previously did is not a fully engaged employee.

3. Late to arrive, early to leave

   Are you watching the parking lot each morning to see when employees arrive? Do you schedule meetings first thing or at the end of the day in order to keep tabs on everyone and make sure they stay the full workday? If so, you have disengaged employees at your company. Simply showing up on time should be a bare minimum for employees to show their commitment to work. While occasionally everyone gets delayed or has good reason to leave early, anyone who makes it a pattern is demonstrating that work is not a priority.

Three ways to improve employee engagement

It’s possible you didn’t need any help with knowing how to spot a disengaged employee. If that’s the case, we’ve come to the piece you’ve been waiting for! While no one can transform the behavior of someone who simply isn’t interested in working, there are things that you as a leader or manager can do to address common concerns that cause employees to hold back.

1. Meet one-on-one on a regular basis.

   Disengaged employees often feel as though their opinions don’t matter. This leads to a vicious cycle in which the employee doesn’t speak up because he thinks no one will listen, and the supervisor assumes he has nothing to say because he won’t speak up. When a supervisor and an employee meet face-to-face, it creates a shift in the dynamic. In this situation, there is no competition for airspace, nor is there someone else to hide behind.

   Start with a clear agenda so that each person knows what to expect. (Needless to say, being called into the boss’s office at a moment’s notice doesn’t make for a relaxing conversation.) Give each person a chance to talk about what’s working, what’s not working, and areas where further support is needed. Create a list of follow-up tasks and stick to them.

   These meetings are most effective when they are held on a regular basis. Ideally, you’ll meet one-on-one with your direct reports every four to eight weeks. When you implement this process, you’ll find it creates a culture of personal responsibility and builds a bond of trust, both of which are key to helping your employees be successful and engaged.

2. Make your company values crystal clear.

   Every company has its own unique culture. The problem lies when the expectations and norms that guide the culture aren’t written down or expressly stated. Through no malicious intent, company owners can simply assume that the people they hire will catch on naturally to “the way things are done around here.” That’s not an efficient approach, however, and can lead to misalignment between the company and its employees.

   Be intentional about creating strong internal values for your company. Think of them as a promise to your team. When you are interviewing candidates, tell them what your values are and let them evaluate those along with all other aspects of the job. That way, when you add a new person to the team, expectations governing behavior are clear.

   Another advantage to having clear company values is that you are giving your employees something to be enthusiastic about. Perhaps the day-to-day work they’ll be performing can become monotonous or routine, but everyone responds more positively to work that has meaning. If they can connect their tasks to the broader mission and understand how they contribute, they are much more likely to be engaged.

3. Set clear expectations and boundaries around roles and responsibilities.

   Clarity is never a bad thing, and it’s especially important when it comes to making sure your employees know what their responsibilities are. A major reason that employees become disengaged is that they’re unclear as to what they’re supposed to be doing or where they’re heading.

   Take time to review all employee job descriptions. Are they accurate? If not, what needs to change? Are the changes substantial enough to warrant a new title? Different compensation? If you’re not clear on what the employee should be doing, you can bet that he or she won’t be clear either. Well-defined roles give employees the benefit of knowing what is expected and what is outside of their purview. The anxiety of wondering is eliminated.

   The other component that benefits employees and leads to greater engagement is knowing what opportunities for development lie within the company. If the employee is in an ill-defined role with no idea what advancement might look like, he’s less likely to be engaged. Show him not only what he’s doing today but also what opportunities there are for tomorrow.

While there’s no overnight solution to boosting employee engagement, there are practical steps you can take to improve. It’s well worth the effort, too – businesses lose revenue, resources, and profits through disengaged employees and high turnover.

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At the ReWild Group, our mission is to multiply the number of exceptional businesses globally. In this article, we’ve touched on three of the 11 Elements of an Exceptional Business – One-to-One Process, Brand and Core Values, and Organizational Structure. Click to learn more about the guidebooks for each of the elements, and start the journey towards making your workplace exceptional.

The Stages of Growth Online Video Series

Now available! Online video series to understand and apply the Stages of Growth.

We’re excited to announce that the Stages of Growth Online Series is now available! This video series breaks down the concepts that inform Organizational ReWilding in an easy-to-understand format. It is recommended to any business owners or leaders who are looking for research-driven strategies to help grow their businesses.

The online series is made up of ten videos totaling two hours and twenty minutes of content in all. The videos are divided into sections so you can conveniently start and re-start at your convenience. You don’t have to complete the entire series in one setting. Priced at just $50, this series is an excellent, low-budget investment into your business.

Following are more details about the structure and content of the series. Ready to get started? Click here.

The Introduction video offers a brief overview of the Stages of Growth and explains the parallels been biological ecosystems and and organizations. Following the Introduction is a series of nine topics, each one based on a different dimension of a business. The nine dimensions that are covered include: Leadership Style, Classic Challenges, Non-Negotiable Rules, Three Faces of a Leader, Transition Zones, Gates of Focus, Modality, Builder-Protector Ratio, and the Elements.

The structure of the video course is the same for each dimension. First, you will watch a brief, illustrative story that helps bring the concept to life. The story features a business owner or leader who is experiencing problems related to that dimension. A variety of industries are used for the stories, as well as different sizes of companies. One of the biggest strengths of this framework is how it adapts and applies to a variety of conditions.

Next, you’ll watch a video that explains the principles that underlie each dimension. After the principles have been defined and explained, the story picks up again to illustrate what happens in a business when they are applied.

After watching the principles video you’ll take a short quiz to help reinforce what you learned. Don’t worry, if you get any wrong, you’ll get the chance to try again.

Finally, the last video takes you through a series of activities that will help you engage with the content and apply it directly to your business.

This online course is just one of the ways the ReWild Group seeks to provide resources to business owners and leaders in support of our mission to “Multiply the number of exceptional businesses globally.” To see more resources that are available, visit our For Businesses page.

Learn more about the Stage of Growth Online Series:

Matthew Pohl on The Inquisitor Podcast

Matthew Pohl, founder and Principal of The ReWild Group, was recently featured in a podcast episode. Host Marcus Cauchi interviewed Matthew, asking questions about Organizational ReWilding and how Matthew came to be involved with the methodology.

In this hour-long episode, Matthew explains how Organizational ReWilding works and shares stories of how it has been put to use by many companies to create stronger, more resilient businesses.

StratPro and Organizational ReWilding

What is the difference between StratPro and Organizational ReWilding?

Widely used within The Alternative Board (TAB) network, StraPro has similarities and differences to Organizational ReWilding. The purpose of this blog is to outline both methodologies and show how they can work together in a business.

StratPro – Where Strategy Meets Productivity

StratPro is a business leadership program that combines strategy and productivity and will get your organization performing at its maximum potential. The end result is an engaged leadership team that embraces the organization’s vision, is fully accountable, and knows exactly how to execute. StratPro’s target market is firm with 20 or more employees and annual revenues revenue of $2M or more.

• StratPro combines facilitated leadership workshops with follow-up sessions dedicated to Execution and Accountability.

• StratPro starts with an “MRI” of your business, which identifies gaps in your business and improvement opportunities.

• The StratPro process is the same for all businesses and features workshops or meetings as often as every two weeks.

• StratPro requires the use of a proprietary platform (TAB’s Business Builder’s Blueprint™).

• Sessions can be self-facilitated or by a trained StratPro Facilitator.

Organizational ReWilding

Organizational ReWilding is a growth methodology that helps businesses understand and master the rules of growth. ReWilding is designed to help companies navigate seven specific stages of growth from 1 to 350+ employees.

• Organizational ReWilding diagnoses issues, prescribes solutions, and predicts what will be coming as the organization grows.

• Solutions are based on a business’ Stage of Growth and findings identified by a personalized ReWild Business Assessment™. The RBA leverages patterns distilled through the research and observation of over 1,300 small and midsized businesses to configure a plan specific to that business.

• Organizational ReWilding identifies key elements missing in the organization and infuses those elements through structured consulting engagements. The 11 elements cover Strategy, Culture, Leadership, and Infrastructure.

• Consulting engagements are conducted using the ReWild Learning System (RLS), a three-part educational system involving knowledge transfer videos, hands-on sessions, and real-world application.

• Infusing Organizational ReWilding elements into a business provides the organization with principles, tools, and methods that can be used going forward. There is no requirement for ongoing engagement from a ReWild Advisor.

• Organizational ReWilding facilitates the critical thinking needed to strengthen the strategy and tactics of an organization, which have a ripple effect into the operations.

Organizational ReWilding and StratPro

Organizational ReWilding complements StratPro by providing a deeper dive into company culture, as well as training on various structures that help to provide clarity and consistency. Any business that has used StratPro can also find value from Organizational ReWilding. A business owner who has implemented StratPro would benefit most from the following packages:

• Business Growth Framework, which creates organizational alignment to pursue growth by ensuring the management team understands a shared perspective on how businesses grow. This package identifies areas of misalignment and selects initiatives to ensure an organization is aligned with the rules of growth.

• One-to-One Process, which provides a regular feedback loop between supervisor and employee that promotes proactive inquiry, creates personal accountability, and builds a bond of trust. It is one of the foundational structures needed to create a high functioning company. Structured and consistent communication between supervisors and employees fosters trust and provides opportunity to grow and nurture the staff.

• Brand & Core Values establishes the organization’s promise to the market (Brand Values) and promise to the team (Core Values). When an organization defines these sets of values, it’s able to consistently deliver on its promises. This engagement imparts foundational principles and concepts that help a company create values that are authentic, meaningful, and stable.

• Strong Management Team ensures the organization is led with a shared vision and common language. The Exceptional Manager Program instills the skills and mindset that grow the management team into the backbone of an exceptional business. The result is a cohesive management team that understands the business and is capable of owning more responsibility.

• Interdepartmental Planning helps an organization employ a structured method of categorizing priorities across all departments, capturing prioritization from multiple perspectives, and facilitating the identification of shared organizational priorities. The team learns how to use a quarterly “planning scrub” to keep the entire Management Team on the same page and working on what is truly important for the organization.

• Business Development Structure helps generate consistent and growing revenue through structure. This package infuses key structures into the business development functions (marketing, sales, and customer service) to ensure the company can reply on repeatable methods instead of specific individuals.

• Master Processes facilitates the identification of key processes and systems that are lacking in the organization through surveys, hands-on activities, and group discussions. This engagement helps address challenges with destabilizing chaos, poor staff training, weak project management, and a high cost of lost expertise.

Learn more about Organizational ReWilding:

Structure, Clarity, and Focus

One of the phrases that is often used in the Organizational ReWilding® methodology is “Structure, Clarity, and Focus.” While not a key element package, these important concepts underpin many of the principles and lessons that are part of the methodology. The purpose of this article is to take a closer look at what makes this phrase so meaningful—first by defining each term in the phrase and then connecting them to specific key elements.

Structure, Clarify, and Focus are how an organization overcomes the inherent chaos and disorder that exist in human organizations. Every person in an organization thrives more when these characteristics are present.

These terms are not narrowly defined by the Organizational ReWilding® methodology because they can mean different things in different situations—to the organization, the leader, and the team. Particularly during a transition zone, Structure, Clarity, and Focus can mean virtually anything that increases those three characteristics within the organization.

Understanding that the terms are intentionally left open-ended to some degree, here are some thoughts on what is meant by each component of this phrase.

Structure

Structure permeates our world; we see it in biology, architecture, culture, music, and more. Just because it is prevalent, however, does not mean it is spontaneous. The default condition is chaos, and structure requires conscious thought and intentional action.

Within a business, structure provides:

• A foundation upon which different people can accomplish tasks in similar ways, by defining the task and the best way to do it.

• Organization for both the work that is being done and the formal relationships within the business that are required to complete the work.

• A rhythm and cadence, setting expectations and establishing routines to save time and energy.

Enduring structures are those that have been adopted thoroughly enough by an organization to achieve consistency throughout and can be maintained even when people leave the organization. 

Some examples of structure within Organizational ReWilding include Position Role Sheets, One-to-One Process, and Master Processes.

Clarity

Clarity refers to a state of lucid perception or understanding, and is only attainable when uncertainty and ambiguity have been removed.

An organization needs clarity in order to both define the work and the way it should be performed. There are two key contributors to clarity within an organization:

1. Common language. Shared definitions and terminology enable individuals to operate more efficiently and consistently.

2. A roadmap. When a team is clear on where the organization is headed and has a shared goal, it can eliminate energy spent on tasks that do not contribute to achieving the goal.

Some examples of clarity within Organizational ReWilding include Revenue Groups, Brand & Core Values, and the definition of Business Development (Marketing generates leads, Sales turns leads into revenue, and Customer Service keeps the revenue coming).

Focus

Focus is a concentrated direction of effort or thoughts. Focus allows energy to be directed to the most important initiatives by eliminating alternatives that vie for resources and attention.

In an organization, focus is achieved when everyone involved knows what is important and what is not important.

While leaders can often operate with ambiguity, most employees need direction to be able to prioritize.  When individuals are clear on priorities, they can concentrate their efforts. By contrast, unfocused individuals expend energy across a wide range of tasks, many of which are not critical at that point in time. Such lack of focus results in dissipated energy, causing an organization to oscillate instead of advance. 

Some examples of focus within Organizational ReWilding include the Important-Urgent Matrix, Position Role Sheets, Supervision, Departmental Mission, and Interdepartmental Planning.

Learn more about how Organizational ReWilding can bring Structure, Clarity, and Focus to your business.

The Non-Negotiable Rules for Finance

The Non-Negotiable Rules are a powerful dimension within the Stages of Growth. They define the laws that a business must follow in order to be successful. The fact is that every natural system, whether it is a forest or a commercial business, succeeds by aligning itself to fundamental natural laws that establish order and balance.

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Finance

Finance is a term that refers to the management of the flow of money through an organization. It encompasses the generation of revenue, the tracking of the money, and knowing how it’s used.

Finance is a core component of every business, no matter what size, but at earlier stages in an organization’s development, a lower level of sophistication is required. Businesses in Stages 1 and 2 are mostly concerned with generating enough cash flow to cover expenses, and while that’s seldom an easy prospect, it isn’t a very complicated one.

As the company grows, the ability to forecast and organize how the company is going to use funds becomes more complex. More strategic planning is required to account for department budgets and to plan for spending further in advance. More people are needed to manage the complexity of those decisions, too, and as more people are added, the financial system needs to be sophisticated enough to handle the higher volume.

A key concept that goes hand-in-hand with Finance is ensuring that every employee understands how the company makes and keeps money, which is where Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) come into play. They serve as an early signal of a company’s financial health. Not every employee needs to understand the full financial situation to be able to contribute to the bottom line. KPIs serve as a bridge that maintains the connection between individual effort and company results.

For example, if lead generation is one of the KPIs for a company, the marketing employee working on an email campaign will make the connection between writing compelling headlines to an increase in opened emails to an increase in leads to an increase in revenue for the company. This type of direct connection between work and revenue will increase the profitability of the entire organization.

As with all the dimensions of Non-Negotiable Rules, the Rules related to Finance are cumulative; you can’t skip ahead and expect to be a healthy, thriving business. To advance from one Stage of Growth to the next, you need to have at least 80% of the Rules covered for the current Stage.

Discover the Rules for Your Business’s Stage of Growth

How is your company doing with the Non-Negotiable Rules for Finance? Take the assessment and download a report customized to your business’s Stage of Growth. In only two minutes you’ll get valuable information that will benefit the financial health of your company.

The Non-Negotiable Rules for Leadership

The Non-Negotiable Rules are a powerful dimension within the Stages of Growth. They define the laws that a business must follow in order to be successful. The fact is that every natural system, whether it is a forest or a commercial business, succeeds by aligning itself to fundamental natural laws that establish order and balance.

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Leadership

Leadership is the guiding body of the organization. As the company grows, the Non-Negotiable Rules and structure of its Leadership must change and evolve as well.

In Stages 1 and 2 (1-19 employees), the Leadership in a business is owner centric.  During this stage, the organization revolves around the owner, and the business is extremely dependent on the one leader. At this point in the business’s growth, the leader must command the team and inspire employees with a clear vision and mission.

As a company grows into Stage 3, it needs to shift to an enterprise-centric organization. An enterprise-centric business is one that can stand apart from the owner; its Leadership is stronger because it has more depth. No matter how capable, one person is simply not effective as the sole leader once the company grows past 20 employees. Leadership at Stage 3 needs to begin delegating authority and responsibility to three to five capable managers and regularly coach them. This is when the organization graduates from being solely CEO-led and blossoms into being leadership-led.

Beyond Stage 3, as the company continues to grow, the need for depth of Leadership also continues to grow. The goal must be that supervisors are taught, mentored, and challenged to become responsible, capable managers. It’s in these Stages that managers begin to truly own functional areas of the business, which frees up the CEO to train a successor and continue to set the vision for the organization.

Leadership is often misunderstood as ownership or control. In reality, strong Leaders have the ability to delegate and grow managers. Growing managers help the company evolve from owner-centric to enterprise-centric; without this, a company cannot effectively grow.

Effective leadership at a growing company, then, means knowing when and how to delegate. Delegation is often mistaken for a weakness or perhaps conjures fear in the heart of a small business owner who may have trouble truly “letting go” of vision and responsibility. However, the ability to delegate is a crucial tool for a company to be successful.

Discover the Rules for Your Business’s Stage of Growth

How is your company doing with the Non-Negotiable Rules for Leadership? Take the assessment and download a report customized to your business’s Stage of Growth. In only two minutes you’ll get valuable information about the top leadership priorities that will help you successfully grow to the next Stage.

Gates of Focus

All activity in an organization falls into three fundamental areas: People, Profit, and Process. Think of each of these as a door or gate behind which lies opportunities for the organization to grow. 

At any given Stage of Growth, the patterns observed in growing businesses suggest that there is an ideal order of prioritization of these three Gates. Said another way, one of these three holds the greatest opportunity for growth in your organization, based on your Stage of Growth.

The People Gate covers everything that affects the human resources of an organization. When you prioritize the People Gate of Focus, energy goes to the development and well-being of your employees. If you are improperly focused on People–meaning you are focused on People when your organization needs to you be focused on Profit or Process—you may find that your organization lacks the revenue or profit to grow, or you may find that your processes are not as mature as they need to be to handle existing or future volumes of business.

The Profit Gate covers everything that affects the organization's revenue and profitability. When you prioritize the Profit Gate of Focus, your energy focuses on activities that generate revenue and increase profits. If you are improperly focused on Profit, you may have disengaged employees and poor quality due to lack of process.

The Process Gate covers everything that affects the manual and automated processes and systems used by the organization. When you prioritize the Process Gate of Focus, your energy goes to developing, refining, and testing processes and systems. If Process is an improper focus, you may find that your organization lacks the revenue or profit to grow, or your people may feel overlooked. 

Prioritizing the Gates of Focus

Each of these areas is important all the time.  However, their ideal priority changes based on your Stage of Growth. 

The Gates of Focus can be likened to having multiple children. All are important, but your focus changes based on the child’s age and needs. Just because a newborn needs a lot of attention does not mean the older children are not valued. A teenager may require more energy than a 10-year-old. All the children are equally important, but there are times where one child requires more attention and focus. Similarly, all the Gates of Focus are important, but the optimal priority changes as your business grows.

Keep in mind that most business leaders have a natural focus—a personal preference for one of the Gates. This area may be the one that comes easiest to the leader or is based on fundamental beliefs of how a good business is operated. While some leaders have been gifted with a talent for operations, others are skilled at engaging their people; others find prospecting and winning work to be second nature for them.

As the business leader, it’s important to recognize the need to adjust personal preferences toward People, Profit, or Process based on what the organization needs for its current Stage of Growth.

Businesses that fail to adhere to the Gates of Focus eventually experience the ramifications—plateauing, receding from prior heights, or oscillating between Stages. Sustainable growth is achieved when your organization stays aligned with each Stage’s Gates of Focus. 

Discover the Gates of Focus Priorities for Your Business’s Stage of Growth

It’s simple to find out what the priorities should be at your organization among the Gates of Focus. The research has been completed—all you need to do is take the free assessment! Click below and in just two minutes you will have insight into which of the three Gates should be your top priority at this point in time.

Build a Profitable Business With the ReWild Learning System

How our three-step process effectively delivers relevant, useful knowledge for long-term results.

In addition to being a unique methodology for business growth, Organizational ReWilding also employs a distinctive learning system to impart the methodology—one that was designed based on the latest research in adult learning methods. Why? Because business owners and leaders are pressed for time and need solutions they can remember easily and implement quickly.

Business consultants are brought in to fix a problem and dictate solutions. They may not be involved in implementing those solutions and will very likely need to return in the future in order to help in other areas. (When you fix one problem, another usually presents itself unless the root cause has been identified.)

By contrast, the ReWild Learning System (RLS) is focused on empowering the learner; on infusing knowledge into an organization so that it can function independently of outside resources. At the ReWild Group, our aim is to equip business leaders and their teams with principles, methods, and tools that have both an immediate and long-lasting impact on the organization.

The Three Components of RLS

There are three primary components to the ReWild Learning System: 1) knowledge transfer videos, 2) hands-on sessions with trained Advisers, and 3) real-life application of the principles, methods, and tools.

Let’s look at these components in more detail.

Knowledge Transfer Videos – Prior to each meeting, participants watch videos that are assigned by the Adviser. The videos range from 3 to 30 minutes, depending on the topic. Participants consume this material in the same convenient manner in which people today take in most of their information – via smart phones, tablets, and computers. The succinct videos communicate the material in a way that can be easily absorbed, regardless of an employee’s educational background or experience. 

Hands-on Sessions – The participants gather with the Adviser at prescribed intervals. Typically, meetings occur every two weeks, with some exceptions. Since the transfer of key principles has already taken place, most of the in-person time can be spent applying the knowledge to the business. The immediate and meaningful relevance of the principles to the participant’s real world dramatically increases the retention of the concepts that have just been learned. 

Real-Life Application – Following a session, participants are expected to use the principles in their daily routine. To increase accountability, participants may be required to share with the group their personal experiences with on-the-job application. The “doing” part of the learning process further reinforces the new principles learned, cementing them into the participants’ minds for long-term retention and impact. 

Each component is deliberately structured to bring the most benefit to adult learners. To understand how, it’s helpful to begin with an overview of what adult learning is, how it differs from traditional adult-to-student teaching methods, and why it’s widely recognized as the optimal way to deliver information to adults.

“Watching the short videos, ideas were just flying through my mind, and then sitting down and actually working the processes was amazing. It was extracting all of the information we had in our minds and putting it onto paper.”

— Program Director, The Gathering Inn

Andragogy and Adult Learning Theory

In the 1970s, David Kolb developed the theory of experiential learning, the idea being that adults are shaped by their experiences and the best learning comes from making sense of your experiences. In other words, instead of just hearing or reading about something, adults require a more involved way of learning that incorporates their experience.

Malcolm Knowles built upon this idea in 1980 when he popularized the term “andragogy.” Andragogy is the “art and science of helping adults learn” and Knowles contrasted it with pedagogy, which is the art and science of helping children learn. Knowles and the andragogy theory say that adult learners are different from children in many ways, including:

• They need to know why they should learn something.

• They need internal motivation.

• They want to know how learning will help them specifically.

• They bring prior knowledge and experience that form a foundation for their learning.

• They are self-directed and want to take charge of their learning journey.

• They find the most relevance from task-oriented learning that aligns with their own realities. 

Andragogy learning theories focus on giving students an understanding of why they are doing something, plenty of hands-on experiences, and less instruction so they can engage directly with the material themselves.

The characteristics of adult learners align with the structure of the ReWild Learning System as well as the assumptions made about program participants. Business leaders and managers are practical, goal-oriented people who are looking for relevancy in the subject matter, are independent and self-directed, and want to actively participate in the learning process. They are not content to sit quietly through lectures.

How the ReWild Learning System Works

In a typical Organizational ReWilding engagement, participants will show up to the first meeting having already absorbed several knowledge transfer videos. The videos include both auditory and visual elements to aid in understanding. Videos are assigned throughout the engagement to correspond with each session so that the material is fresh in everyone’s minds. The videos not only communicate key principles, but they also inform the audience on why the topics being covered matter to the participant and their organization.

Watching the videos in advance frees up time in the session for everyone to engage in activities that actively apply that knowledge to real-life situations. There is time for discussion, time to ask questions, and opportunities for participants to consider the impact these principles and ideas may have on their businesses and their positions.

“The videos helped tee up the discussions that were coming later and really gave me an outline – not only of where the session was going to go, but also, what were the major components that I need to understand in order to have a meaningful discussion.”

— CEO, Leading Associations

Sessions typically last about two hours. This, too, is intentional, in that it allows participants to actively engage for a period of time and then step away before they hit a limit on absorbing new information. Sessions can be virtual or in person, which allows the flexibility businesses need to get the most out of the program.

How the ReWild Learning System Benefits Businesses

One of the biggest advantages of the ReWild Learning System is the way it serves to level the playing field for employees. Because everyone is watching the same videos, learning the same concepts, and referencing the same materials, everyone is empowered to participate. There aren’t limitations or obstacles based on a person’s individual experience or educational background.

Similarly, the entire organization benefits from RLS because the knowledge becomes part of its DNA. Rather than being dependent upon one person – like the CEO or organization’s leader – the knowledge is infused throughout the organization, resulting in more rapid adoption. 

“I enjoyed the fact that we had the modules—that we worked through them and then practiced them and then were able to repeat them as an organization outside of the sessions themselves, which I think is one of the hallmarks of a program’s success.”

— Director of Outreach, The Gathering Inn

Finally, the Adviser who leads the group through the engagement acts primarily as a guide. The Adviser facilitates meetings, explains concepts, and helps the team solve problems. This model is more beneficial to businesses than one in which Advisers are the “experts” who rely primarily on personal experience and proprietary knowledge. In those cases, the business only benefits as long as the Adviser is with them. At the ReWild Group, our mission is to multiply the number of exceptional businesses globally, and that is best achieved through equipping the business to be self-sustaining.

How the ReWild Learning System Benefit Advisers

The ReWild Learning System also includes important benefits for Advisers who deliver Organizational ReWilding services to clients.

Advisers have access to training materials and handbooks for every engagement, giving them a breadth of capabilities uncommon for most consultants. In addition, Advisers don’t have to be experts on every facet of business in order to bring value to the client. The RLS curriculum serves as a ready-to-use engagement that requires little to no special knowledge in order for an Adviser to successfully deliver the product.

The knowledge transfer videos ensure core principles are consistently taught to participants. This eliminates the need for Advisers to memorize every detail of the program’s materials and decreases the time Advisers must spend with a client, but without sacrificing effectiveness. 

Participants come prepared with a shared understanding of the materials, ready to actively participate in the sessions’ activities. Advisers spend the bulk of their time together having participants apply the concepts to the business. The powerful principles encourage critical thinking and open discussions that are deeper and more relevant than most companies have had in the past. Participants leave each meeting with tangible new discoveries and an enhanced, shared vocabulary. 

The result is that, compared to traditional consulting engagements, Advisers spend less time on each engagement, help participants absorb the materials at a deeper level, and have a long-lasting impact on the organization.

This is the power of the ReWild Learning System. 

Discover for Yourself

The ReWild Learning System is a research-based, scientific approach to helping businesses be successful. It has the capacity to deliver information that is easily understood, quickly absorbed, and readily implemented. Based on adult learning theory, RLS is designed to equip business leaders and owners to build businesses that are high-functioning and highly profitable.

Whether you are an adviser or a business leader, we invite you to explore Organizational ReWilding and discover the powerful methodology for yourself.

The Non-Negotiable Rules for Operations

The Non-Negotiable Rules are a powerful dimension within the Stages of Growth. They define the laws that a business must follow in order to be successful. The fact is that every natural system, whether it is a forest or a commercial business, succeeds by aligning itself to fundamental natural laws that establish order and balance.

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Operations

The functions within a company that keep it running effectively and producing revenue are referred to collectively as Operations. Essentially, Operations are the inner workings of the company—how everyone functions, how the processes run, and how the organization executes the delivery of goods or services they are producing.

The major themes in the Non-Negotiable Rules for Operations are:

• Quality - Creating structured processes to support consistent deliverables and preserve institutional knowledge.

• Resilience - Ensuring that work is organized independently of people.

• Efficiency - That organizational structure is designed in such a way that it is supportive of the goods and services that are being provided.

When the Non-Negotiable Rules for Operations are followed, an organization becomes more resilient, more efficient, and quality improves.

Have you ever worked in a company where there was that one employee who joked - or maybe someone else joked - that the whole place would fall apart if they were not there? Or maybe you have been that person. You or a manager took a vacation and instead of relaxing on a beach, that time was spent on the phone or laptop working or talking someone through something. Sound familiar?

A situation like that is common and often mistaken as a badge of honor for that employee when, in reality, it is the consequence of weak Operations. Sacrificing this non-negotiable rule makes way for the inevitable issue of having the balance of the company hang on one person. If that one person leaves, so does the knowledge, skill, and experience needed for the company to seamlessly carry on.

We fix this inevitable issue by identifying, learning, and implementing the Non-Negotiable Rules for Operations.

As a company transitions between the Stages of Growth, having a solid foundation of Operations becomes more imperative and in turn creates structure for future growth to be smoother. Clarifying positions and roles early in a company’s growth is extremely important. As the company becomes larger and the number of employees grows, a focus on processes becomes more critical.

Discover the Rules for Your Business’s Stage of Growth

How is your company doing with the Non-Negotiable Rules for Operations? Take the assessment and download a report customized to your business’s Stage of Growth. Two minutes today will provide invaluable information that will positively impact your company’s communication, production, and overall health.

The Non-Negotiable Rules for Business Model & Plan

The Non-Negotiable Rules are a powerful dimension within the Stages of Growth. They define the laws that a business must follow in order to be successful. The fact is that every natural system, whether it is a forest or a commercial business, succeeds by aligning itself to fundamental natural laws that establish order and balance.

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Business Model & Plan

Business Model & Plan refers to the core structures of how you architect your business. The Rules for this business area govern critical topics like revenue groups, offerings, customer segments, and operational and strategic plans.

As an organization grows, the way in which you incorporate the rules for Business Model & Plan changes. The larger the organization, the more strategic you must be and the farther out you have to plan. You must also involve a growing number of people in the planning process.

Which is not to say that the Rules for Business Model & Plan are unimportant for smaller companies. As with the other dimensions of Non-Negotiable Rules, they must be mastered (at least 80%) before moving on to the next Stage of Growth. If they haven’t been implemented, the organization will suffer.

Business Model & Plan is not something that you take care of once and then forget and move on. One of the most important characteristics of this area of Non-Negotiable Rules is that it must be regularly evaluated and reassessed at every Stage of Growth.

Not only do you need to understand the key structures of Business Model & Plan, you also need to make sure they are in line with the reality of today. Things that were done in the early stages of a business may not necessarily serve you as well in later stages. It’s important not to take for granted that what worked before will work again. Vigilance, focus, and critical thinking all serve to ensure the Business Model & Plan area of the business grows proportionately and keeps the organization’s strategies from becoming stale.

Discover the Rules for Your Business’s Stage of Growth

How is your company doing with the Non-Negotiable Rules for Business Model & Plan? Do you know what they are for your current Stage? Are you confident that you have mastered the Rules from previous Stages? Take two minutes to complete the assessment and download a report that is tailored to your business’s Stage. Taking this small step today will serve your company for years ahead.

The Non-Negotiable Rules for Workplace Community

The Non-Negotiable Rules are a powerful dimension within the Stages of Growth. They define the laws that a business must follow in order to be successful. The fact is that every natural system, whether it is a forest or a commercial business, succeeds by aligning itself to fundamental natural laws that establish order and balance.

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Workplace Community

Workplace Community refers to the overall health and integrity of the group of people who work together in an organization. The Rules that govern these interactions have to do with promoting strong and clear communication, providing a common framework that makes it easier to get things done, and establishing common values.

Of vital importance in Workplace Community is establishing a feedback loop between supervisors and employees. This ensures that ideas are flowing from the bottom up and that leadership has the opportunity to infuse the organization with its thoughts and ideas. A feedback loop is important from the very beginning of a business.

Core Values are another area of great importance for a healthy Workplace Community. Core Values are about establishing the company’s promise to the team (as opposed to Brand Values, which are the promise to the market). Make sure that the Core Values are understood and upheld by the team for a unified community. Additionally, strong Core Values serve to attract and retain the right talent.

As companies grow, on-boarding new employees becomes more common and also more critical. With a larger leadership team, it’s important that everyone is on the same page. Many of the Non-Negotiable Rules for Workplace Community help ensure that newcomers to the organization are fitting in to the community.

Another Rule that becomes relevant as the company grows is to hold unifying, company-wide events. Employees should have a citizenship mindset towards the company, and events are an effective way to pull everyone together and establish a sense of collective identity.

As with all the dimensions of Non-Negotiable Rules, the Rules related to Workplace Community are cumulative; you can’t skip rules and expect to be a healthy, thriving business. To advance from one Stage of Growth to the next, you need to have at least 80% of the Rules covered for the current Stage. Consider them the graduation requirements needed to transition well into the next Stage.

Discover the Rules for Your Business’s Stage of Growth

How is your company doing with the Non-Negotiable Rules for Workplace Community? Take the assessment and download a report customized to your business’s Stage of Growth. In only two minutes you’ll get valuable information that will boost morale, improve communication, and enhance the overall health of your company.

The Challenges Facing Every Business

If you are a business owner or leader, there’s no doubt that you are facing challenges with running your company. It may help you to learn that you’re not alone in these challenges. In fact, our research has shown that companies face similar top challenges according to their Stage of Growth.

What are the Classic Challenges?

Part of the Organizational ReWilding® system, Classic Challenges are the top five challenges businesses typically face in each Stage of Growth. Some of the challenges appear in more than one stage, but overall, there are 24 unique challenges across the seven stages.

Examples of Classic Challenges include things like inadequate sales, poor staff training, slow getting offerings to market, and weak cash flow.

Why does understanding the Classic Challenges matter?

You’re probably familiar with the axiom that it’s better to face an enemy you know than one you don’t know. Our research has shown that leaders are better able to handle challenges when they can identify them with specific language. There is power in simply identifying the enemy.

Another benefit to understanding the Classic Challenges is that organizations become more adept at recognizing issues as they are being experienced. Equipped with knowledge about the top common challenges, they are quicker to identify new challenges that surface and therefore quicker to address them.

It’s also extremely helpful when leadership and management teams have a common language they can use to identify the company’s top issues. Clear communication facilitates more rapid problem solving.

Finally, as leaders look ahead to upcoming Stages of Growth, they know which challenges are most likely to occur. Rather than being blindsided by each new stage, they can proactively be on the lookout and take immediate action.

Linking the Challenges to Elements

In addition to helping name the challenges you are facing, the Classic Challenges often represent surface symptoms of deeper, underlying issues.

The Elements of an Exceptional Business

The Stages of Growth methodology links the Classic Challenges to specific key elements. In fact, recognizing the challenge you are facing is an important first step to determining which underlying elements need to be infused into an organization to facilitate growth.

For example, say your team is struggling with employee retention. The team selects the Classic Challenge of “Employee Turnover” as the name for this challenge. 

The Stages of Growth methodology links this challenge to the underlying Elements that most commonly resolve it. The Elements that most directly impact Employee Turnover are:

• clear Brand & Core Values;

• intentional Organizational Structure;

• a consistent One-to-One Process;

• and a Strong Management Team.

With the link between Classic Challenges and Elements, the team can take specific actions to resolve the underlying source of the challenge.

Identify Your Challenges

Knowing that thousands of other business leaders have faced the same problems as you, doesn’t it make sense to learn from their experience? You don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Organizational ReWilding makes it possible to tap into that collective experience to help your company avoid pitfalls and grow at a healthy, sustainable pace.

Take the Challenges of Growth Assessment and download a report that provides clarifying language and insight into the challenges you’re facing. You’ll also receive pointers that help you know where to focus your efforts. The Classic Challenges Assessment is completely free and takes only two minutes to complete.