Mind your Oxygen

A strategic mindset in the business world is not just a necessity; it's a superpower. It's the force that sets organizations apart and propels them forward in the ever-evolving business landscape. With this superpower, organizations can execute their plan and shape their future, inspiring their teams to reach new heights through commitment, focus, and hard work.

Guidelines, handbooks, procedures, manifestos, and ping-pong tables in an organization are like the vegetables we eat. They are necessary for our health and well-being. They keep us sharp, competitive, and ready to tackle the business marathon.

Please take a look at this, however. What happens if we eat our vegetables and suddenly we cannot breathe? We will suffocate, and the business marathon game will suddenly look like a distant dream. We need oxygen to stay tall above all, and if we don't get it in the next 1-2 minutes, guess what? The game is over.

We might survive without vegetables but will become extinct fast without oxygen.

The dynamics between vegetables and oxygen are the same as between culture and cash flow/financial success. We need them both, but there is a fundamental difference. Lack of both can kill us, but lack of oxygen, in particular, can kill us in an eye-blink.

No matter how unique an organization we build with a people-centric approach, well-established processes, remote teams, flexible schedules, and fancy get-together cocktail parties, we must ensure that the lights stay open at the same time. The moment the oxygen runs out, the endgame is near and will be fatal.

This is an undeniable truth that all business teams should be aware of and that all successful ones have already embraced and managed to make it work.

Forgetting about oxygen can kill a business. Don't let it happen. Be realistic. Vegetables help us stay strong, sharp, and healthy, but oxygen keeps us alive. We need them both in the proper order.

Culture is the DNA of every organization, but culture without oxygen is not enough. Cheers!!