Have you ever wondered why certain companies and organizations have success regardless of the world economic situation or leadership change, etc? Take Apple, for instance. In the past 12 months, the company has not only dealt with the loss of their beloved CEO, but have weathered the economic storm as well to sell more than 25 million iPads a year and growing.
So, what is the common thread with companies like Apple that we in the meetings and event industry can learn from?
Organization expert Lotta Wiström (pictured) of Sweden says it is vision that drives these companies to success. They focus strongly on the what, the how and, most importantly, the WHY elements of making their business successful, and they are thinking five to 10 years down the road.
"By vision I do not mean a single line or payoff note, but a true picture that we all in the company share and live by," Wiström told One+ on Tuesday at EMEC 2012. "I would say that the companies we work with are very clear about the WHAT and the HOW but are often missing the most important thing: the WHY. People, and in general the future workforce, are not interested in working with our companies if it's not announced WHY we are doing what we are doing."
Another important aspect of their success, Wiström says, is the ability of the leadership of these companies to follow core values.
"We have to understand that the leadership in these companies, in general, is based on values and not rules and regulations, and that is also a big change as we can see it. This means that as an owner, leader, boss, CEO or whatever you choose to call yourself, you have to build relations. The key is commitment and relations."
A large part of business success in the next decade will obviously come from the Gen Y sector, who are currently considered the rookies in the meeting and event industry. Wiström cautions us to take a strong look at what this group can offer any business.
"In only eight years from now they will be 50 percent of the total workforce in the world, so that is one really good reason to involve them in what we do now," she said. "They are not afraid of testing boundaries and looking for new solutions, and that is also one of the things we need to do so we stay on the edge of developing our businesses. Among those in Gen Y you will find even more loyal co-workers and colleagues than you have now! Exciting – don't you think?!"