Businesses should specifically focus on building a strong context rather than content in order to remain relevant and successful, according to Mac Attram, an International Business Coach and author of the bestselling book Face it & Fix it.
According to him, the content of a business involves sales, technology, marketing, public relations, equipment, finance, staff, customer service and all that enables businesses to operate while the context has to do with the vision, mission, code of honor, rules, policies and the culture of the organisation.
Mac Attram
Speaking at the 24th MTN Business World Executive Breakfast Meeting on the theme, ” Leading Teams to Greater Result Through Authentic Communication, Attram stressed that “the context is what holds the business together; without a strong context, when the economy and market changes business will start to struggle,”
Drawing from his rich experience as a serial entrepreneur, he detailed how his focus on context helped him transition from a one failed business owner to a successful entrepreneur with 5 businesses running without him.
“Can you create an environment with your business operating without you? he quipped. That comes to context and that context means systems, processes and culture; because I have a strong context, people (my team) know what they are supposed to do with or without me,” he further said.
His anology with an entrepreneur running two businesses in the same market place where one crumbles and the other continues to prosper perfectly ruled out content as the driving force for businesses.
The champion and the victim
As part of his presentation, he exposed participants to the two types of people in teams; the champion and the victim.
According to him, the champion is responsible, responsive, positive and an inspirer. On the other hand, the victim always play the victim, the blame game and the fact that it is always someone’s fault except theirs.
Code of Honour
Attram elaborated on the need for every thriving business to have a Code of Honour to guide the conduct of team members and drive positive results.
Code of honour, he says, is a set of rules that govern the behaviour of the individuals on a team and jell the team together; without it team members set their own rules.
He advised business owners to desist from cutting out training and development when times are hard as training and development are what enable businesses to make increasing returns.
Charlse Osei-Owusu, Controller MFS Business Development, MTN concluded the event by educating participants on the various innovative products like insurance policy, investments and savings that could be accessed on the MTN Mobile money platform.
He further advised Mobile Money (MoMo) users to observe with scrutiny any message said to have come from MTN to avoid falling victims to scammers.
The MTN Business World Executive Breakfast Meeting currently in its 7th year is a leadership and networking platform for top business executives and entrepreneurs attracting over 800 executives annually.
The first edition of the MTN Business World Executive Breakfast series was held in August 2012 and has featured both global and local business coaches and entrepreneurs like Lisa Opoku, Yaw Nsarkoh, Brian Tracy, Robin Banks, and Chinedu Echeruo.
The event is organised by Business World Ghana and MTN Ghana.
By Pamela Ofori- Boateng/Business World Ghana © 2018