Construction Business Upgrade in Weeks
Problem
- The owner had been running a small building business and just getting by with a salary. He was living in West Auckland and working mostly in Eastern Suburbs. Delivering excellent quality and service, in a timely way. But not charging enough for it. His self- esteem, self-worth and self-belief were low, compared to his ability and delivery.
Solution
- Jerome recognised all the discipline, learning, personal development and growth the owner had done. And helped him reframe the way he saw himself, in his life and his working environment. The owner was vulnerable and open to doing the work. He took on the challenge with a passion and created a new self-image, self-beliefs and an inspiringly confident way of being. This resulted in a completely upgraded way of operating his business in a remarkably short time.
Results
- Now, the owner is more assertive, so, he doesn’t get much push-back from anyone. He still delivers quality and excellence. But now, he charges top dollar for every hour, and material, and service. He even charges the same for materials supplied by the client! And they are happy to pay! Why? Because, they know he delivers quality.
- The owner says, “I was being too nice. Jerome showed me how to cut out the nice. The rest evolves by itself. When we focus only on the positive parts of our personality, the rest shrivels away even in a couple of weeks. Now I’m gearing up for overdrive.” He is well on the way to rich and happy!
Free up Time to Think in Engineering Business.
Problem:
- The principal was frustrated at being caught up in technical issues 70-90% of the time. And he was not able to take enough time for leadership, governance, management, or developing his team.
Solution
- We decided on monthly sessions with the principal and his team. The focus was on introducing the team to self-managing team strategies.
Results:
- Paraphrasing the principal: “The team members are more aware of the bigger picture issues: How the team operates; continuous improvement; what is sales and marketing, and how they impact that. They are starting improvement in productivity. They are engaging in collaboration; collective problem solving; solving problems themselves, and taking responsibility for their solutions. This has greatly reduced reverse delegation. And my time has freed up significantly from resolving technical issues with staff.”
Staff were happier. The principal now had time to think about strategic issues, such as the company revenue goal. He decided to acquire a complimentary business. And he accomplished this acquisition within months. Previously, when he was swamped with technical issues, this idea wouldn’t have occurred to him. And he wouldn’t have had the time to act on it. With this acquisition, the revenue has increased from $3 million to $5 million as a result of “thinking wider”. “I have planned 6 weeks holidays this year. I am taking control of my life.”
Productivity up by 30% Architecture Business
Problem:
- A small but high profile architectural practice, based in Auckland and the South Island, implemented two ExO strategies AUTONOMOUS TEAMS and DASHBOARD. The gains were widespread including increase in productivity and freeing up the principal’s time. The principal had been frustrated at being involved in most aspects of most jobs despite having engaged quite skilled practitioners.
Solution:
- Jerome coached the principal weekly and had some sessions with the team. And the principal implemented the strategies with the team in his own unique way.
Results:
Paraphrasing the principal: “We now have far greater clarity on roles. Those who got it, got on board. Those who didn’t get it, got off. We got a clear understanding of responsibilities.” Individuals took more responsibility which freed up the principal’s time. Nest with Jerome’s input they used a dashboard to record individual job progress. The dashboard increased productivity by 30% immediately. The dashboard gave clarity around setting objectives, and reporting on key results for both team directed tasks, and self-directed tasks. Staff each set their own tasks and objectives for the week. They became more proactive in planning and meeting objectives. The jobs ran more smoothly. And this all further reduced the time input needed from the principal. This freed up more time, and enabled the principal to achieve a major personal property development project. This wouldn’t have happened without freeing up time at work. The principal utilised his skills and added value to a piece of land resulting in an immediate net gain of $500k. He’s very happy about this.