“To win in the marketplace you must first win in the workplace.”
– Doug Conant
One of my pet peeves is clichés. I believe clichés to be an excuse for not coming up with original thoughts. That is until the cliché is necessary. The term “buy-in” (support or agreement) is one of those overused terms in management that, in my opinion, has turned into a cliché. Value-added (an enhancement) is another term that is thrown around without the respect that is deserved. When business owners used these terms, do they take into consideration the term’s intent when decisions are made?
Unless you are a solo entrepreneur, you depend on the talent and skills of others. These individuals are management, staff, board, volunteers, subcontractors (internal support), board members, vendors, funders, and investors (external support). As you can see, these individuals do not have to be part of your payroll or permanently connected to your business or organization. These individuals are more than support, they are assets (resources of value) to your end-user product or service.
So why then is it important that you have “buy-in” or “win in the workplace”? While traditionally, the workplace is considered the location where a commercial or professional activity occurs. I surmise that the workplace is the starting point used to get your product or service to your customers. If someone is helping you deliver your product or service in any capacity, they are part of your “workplace,” as noted in today’s quote.
Now imagine your workplace as we’ve revised our understanding. Your workplace should align with your values and all that is needed to get your product or service to market. Alignment of values includes quality, process, and desired outcome. This alignment is buy-in in action! Once you have won the workplace, you are positioned to win the marketplace!
Posted by Dr. Drena Valentine to LinkedIn on May 14, 2021.
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