Understanding the Concept of the Three-Legged Stool in Business Growth
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It’s common for those at the C-Suite level in large companies or entrepreneurs of smaller enterprises to contemplate business growth. For the former, this type of forward-thinking suggests that the business is profitable, well known in its vertical, and eager to serve other markets. To achieve such ambitions, a thoughtful review of the company’s infrastructure and model is paramount within three key areas: people, strategy, and process. Ms. Lea Macchiaroli, owner of trans-forme, llc, understands the importance of all three, illustrating each as a leg in a three-legged stool. “The concept of a three-legged stool is used to describe the necessity of aligning people, strategy, and process. Without alignment, the organization’s stability and growth are compromised,” she states. This blog offers an overview of this notion, and subsequent blogs will focus on each one individually, starting with people, then strategy, and concluding with process.
Every company has its own personality and nuances, yet the principles of alignment are universal. Established as a trusted advisor, most of Lea’s client engagements come from C-Suite executives who have known her and her work for thirty years. As she relays, companies reach out to her with these issues, because they have already identified that there’s a lack of clarity in roles with employees overlapping each other in their work or there’s confusion about who does what. Identifying when these pain points are most obvious, she says, “Occurs most often when growth is happening, and things are moving quickly.” Lea further comments on the general approach to problem-solving in this situation. She says that companies oftentimes assume that adding team members is the answer. Instead, she recommends that businesses take a step back to figure out how work should get done and by whom, which helps team members gain clarity around their roles.
Leadership has a 30,000-foot view, but they notice when work isn’t getting done or there are unexplained bottlenecks in workflow. They see the symptoms, but they don’t necessarily understand the cause. They might know how something should be done, but at a top-tier level, they cannot take the time to dig into the details and determine the reason for productivity gone awry. This is where middle management plays a key role in ascertaining significant issues. However, they cannot make executive decisions for change. That’s when engaging a third-party consultant’s expertise makes the most sense.
As Lea explains, “It’s at this point that clients bring me in to look at everything, end to end, and cross functionally, to see how things are currently being done, to align people properly to not only the process, but for those people to understand what the goals are in the strategy, and this is where the three legged stool comes in. This is where misalignment is at its root, causing disruption in the process, and ultimately, not fulfilling strategic objectives.”
Having inserted herself into the team, she spends a lot of time understanding what is currently happening in the organization as a whole, and with the individual team members. Lea acknowledges that this approach can be tedious for many people, but clarity in securely knowing what the significance is of their role and contribution, as well as how they’re going to do it and who’s going to do it makes for a long-term gain. “By bringing together a group of people,” she says, “It’s so important to really pay attention as to who has the capabilities and skills to handle a particular responsibility. Someone might be smart, but that’s not a guarantee that they have the skills to do what is being asked of them. The key is to align a person’s abilities and interests with what needs to be done to contribute to the team. This should be part of the company’s overall strategy.”
Lea also explains the tactics of the business’ strategy and brings it down to a level that makes it understandable for everyone, highlighting that each team members’ participation has a significant impact on the overall corporate strategy. For that to happen, part of leadership’s strategy includes redesigning roles and including cross-functionality, which emphasizes the need for—and comes from—a holistic approach to management and development. “I like working with leaders who really want to understand, empower people, and who are going to allow some champions to grow from within who will keep this heartbeat going,” she enthuses. Collaborating with leaders who recognize and are supportive of their people’s strengths reduces misalignment, minimizing concern about the businesses’ ability to grow.
When team proclivities are aligned with the business strategy, the process is poised to run efficiently. As was mentioned in the foregoing, unclear roles and expectations can lead to confusion and inefficiency, hindering the team’s ability to function effectively. To eliminate those difficulties, having a clear process and how everyone works within it helps everybody clearly understand what their role is in the entire end-to-end process. Good middle management is critical in effectuating a smoothly run process, as they are leading the team on a day-to-day basis, and report progress and success to upper management.
Working with clients in this consulting capacity, as Lea sees it, “Helps free people up by putting some more clearly defined structure in place. Doing work that utilizes their strengths, supports the company’s strategy, and follows a thought-out process has the effect of making people happier and feel more fulfilled. They will and can do their job. It’s a cultural shift that’s a morale booster.” Added to that immeasurable, internal benefit, the business is in a better position to become more profitable, sustain its reputation in its vertical, and posture itself to expand into other markets. – Copywritten by Boston Edits, LLC.