Every once in awhile you come across an experience that changes how you see your business. It challenges you to see old issues in new ways. It demands that you seek fresh solutions to long-standing concerns.
For Jim Cooper, Commercialization Manager with Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development in Camrose, a one-day management seminar held in Calgary and Edmonton this fall had that kind of back-to-basics impact. The seminar, Accelerate Your Business, was delivered by Donald Cooper (no relation to Jim), a management consultant with a challenging but inspiring idea.
“Being in agriculture, especially as producers, we spend a lot of time thinking about our product,” says Jim Cooper. “Donald brought the message that it’s not just about the product, but about the commitments we deliver to our customers and our employees. It was a powerful, relevant message and very timely for agriculture.”
Clarity comes first
At age 67, Donald Cooper has been-there-done-that in the world of business. For 20 years, he was part of family-owned sporting goods icon Cooper Canada. For 13 years, he owned and managed a retail chain. Since 1991, Cooper has shared his knowledge of marketing and strategic planning as a speaker and consultant.
One of his core topics is the role of leadership within organizations. He believes the first duty of a manager or leader – regardless of the size of the company – is to provide clarity of an organization’s purpose.
Cooper wants organizations to be clear, above all, about their commitments. He views commitments as being entirely different from goals and objectives. While goals and objectives are about desired outcomes, commitments are about personal and shared responsibility.
“What are we committed to be as an organization?” Cooper asks. “What are we committed to do, today and over the next three to five years? What are we committed to deliver, to our customers and our employees? We want our employees to be committed to us, but how much time do we spend on our commitments to them?”
Young people today!
For many farm businesses, finding good employees is getting harder and harder. Cooper sympathizes, but questions how many businesses truly understand what today’s young employees are looking for.
A generation or two ago, a company’s commitments were organized rather differently. Companies were committed to write paycheques on time and employees were committed to do what they were told.
“I grew up in a time when the boss said ‘jump,’ you asked, ‘how high?,’” says Cooper. “That time is gone. Young people are now 10 times smarter than we were at their age. They bring so much to the table – and they know it. They won't put up with any caveman-style management stuff.”
Donald Cooper says clarity is key for success in any business. | Beyond the product to the experience
Once managers understand the need for clarity and the nature of commitments, Cooper guides them through a process to create a commitment to a great future for the business.
“Most businesses define themselves in terms of what they sell,” says Cooper. “Whether it's food, insurance, mortgages or cars, I ask people to redefine their business by how they help their target customers. What is the help that the customer needs that we can deliver? How can we deliver this help in an extraordinary way?”
For Alberta farmers and ranchers, such questions might initially seem a bit too basic. What are the consumers needs that an Alberta-grown food product can help with? There’s the obvious: nutrition. Stick with it, though, and drill a bit deeper. Beyond the obvious, the answer might include more subjective elements like taste, value, variety, convenience, culture, or even entertainment. Suddenly, the question is taking the business away from bulk commodities that provide simple nutrition toward products that provide experiences.
In almost every audience to whom Cooper presents, there are skeptics. Typically, someone asks a question like, This all sounds great, but does it work on the bottom line?
Donald Cooper’s answer is an unqualified yes. After 50 years in business, there is one thing he knows for sure and it’s where he believes every business should begin.
“In business, there is an incredible waste of time and energy because of lack of clarity,” he says, “because employees have become disengaged, because the business doesn't know where it's going. It all starts with clarity of purpose and clarity of our commitments to customers and to employees. This works.”
As a management consultant, Donald Cooper charges up to $10,000 per day. You can gain his invaluable insights for free. Visit www.donaldcooper.com, click on Free Articles and follow your interests. Cooper recommends article B9: How to create an effective Vision Statement – perfect for anyone looking to chart the future of their business.
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