In simplistic terms, the “Six Pillars” are areas in which organisations – irrespective of their structure, size or sector, public or private – take a holistic, balanced approach. This approach ensures that equal emphasis is placed on each of the six, inter-related areas and not focused on just one or two narrow, short-term priorities (e.g. sales) which would ultimately lead to an unbalanced company, and in turn, to an unsustainable business in the longer-term.
The cornerstone of the “Six Pillars” philosophy is the focus on output management. The starting point is the customer, forcing the organisation to ensure that all activities and resources are necessary. As a result of managing outputs, rather than just costs and resources, the finance function and operational businesses will integrate into a common solution. Overall, the benefits will include:
- greater awareness of the factors that drive the costs of a business, leading to more informed decision-making;
- focus on customer requirements throughout the business rather than just at the sales end;
- support to the planning processes;
- improved capability to compare output costs throughout an organisation; and
- improved information for negotiating with customers.
The “Six Pillars” philosophy also forms the foundation of the Business Plan and is designed at the outset to be owned by everyone within your enterprise. This removes the “waste” associated with traditional business plans which in the main appear to be, at best, narratives of aspiration. At the heart of the “Six Pillars” are six key features:
- Clear objectives and priorities
- Clear accountability
- Consistent reporting framework where key decisions are taken at the appropriate level
- Integrated risk-management assessment
- Independent peer review and challenge
- Visual picture of performance against Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s)
Another unique feature of the “Six Pillars” philosophy is that it is designed specifically for growing enterprises. That means it can grow alongside and match the growth in your organisation. And because it is adopted by everyone in the company, everybody knows what is expected of them, where they fit into the organisation, what their purpose is and, more importantly, where the enterprise is going. It can be directly linked to existing staff appraisal systems and be used to reward staff for consistent performance in pursuit of delivering organisation-focused objectives.
In Return
…I will only work with committed individuals who are intent on creating sustainable growth strategies for their enterprises. Such individuals will not underestimate the commitment, drive and focus that will be necessary to achieve that success. Of course, along the way they have fun too – that’s essential. All of my clients have several things in common, and before I accept you as one of them, I ask that you:
- are committed – personally and financially – to change;
- acknowledge that you cannot do everything yourself and have the ability to or accept the need to delegate;
- understand the fundamental principles that taking a balanced, holistic approach to your business is more important than chasing sales alone;
- keep an open mind and a willingness to challenge your beliefs about ‘the right way’ to run a successful enterprise;
- possess a desire to learn, share and participate fully; and take personal accountability for your level of success
