The Total of All the People

It is almost a cliche we read it so often. People are your major asset in business.

Well, apart from the rather uncomfortable sense of implied ownership, I shall let the statement be. Although never forget that the people in your business is likely to be a moving feast of changing individuals, who are free to move on to pastures new. But that is another article.

My point is this. If you take all the skills and knowledge of all the people in your team, that is the total amount of skills and knowledge that your business has. That is the best your business can ever be.

There are some things that flow from that statement, and here are two of them:

1. It is definitely worth investing in building the total of those skills and knowledge. Training is valuable.

2. Don't structure your business in such a way that the skills and knowledge of your team are not prevented from manifesting themselves.

Both points invite a lot of thought and conversation. For example, the definition of team expands if you build good relationships with business partners and suppliers.

But I simply wanted us each to go and ponder these points with regard to how effective our own businesses are. Because every business has a maximum speed, and very few get all that near to it.

Paul OrangeTree has a big track record of helping organisations organise themselves more effectively as teams, producing bigger results.