CHANGING
WITH THE
TIMES
Make a plan for transformational
change in your business
and kiss that rut you’ve
been stuck in goodbye
By Lisa Gordon
Construction has gotten lean and mean.
FEATURE
The “good old days” of raking in substantial profits
are largely gone. Margins are shrinking while competition
is on the rise. It’s no surprise that the contractors
who have successfully changed with the times are the ones
who now find themselves leading the pack.
Although implementing transformational change at your
business may be a daunting prospect, it’s no longer sufficient
to do things the way they’ve always been done.
Piling Canada spoke with three business coaches to get
some tips for contractors who find themselves stuck in the
same old rut. We learned that positive change is within reach
of any company, providing the leader is willing to roll up their
sleeves and make a plan.
Map your strategy
If your business has hit a plateau, change is necessary to take
it to the next level.
Your first step as an owner is to identify what that next
level looks like. Do you want to make another million in sales
this year? Identify and train your successor? Take more vacation
time?
Some honest introspection is critical here. Invest some
time in determining how you want your future to look.
“Most people who are in a rut have a lot of ideas on what
to change and how to do it, but they just don’t know where
to start,” said Mike Draper, a business coach with Growth
Advisors in Toronto, Ont. “So the question I would ask a company
is ‘What is your plan?’ Once you have that roadmap, you
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