Contracting into the public sector, especially as an SME of around 200 people, is a complex undertaking.
In our case we manage and maintain 3 different fleets of aircraft across 3 sites.
The environment we operate in is both ‘political’ and subject to an uncertain regulatory environment. Combined together these make the planning and delivery of outcomes a more dynamic and less certain affair than was assumed when we began our journey some 8 years ago.
We’ve had a few challenges along the way as we adapted from theory to reality; but, despite these, we are delivering to our customers’ needs (our top priority) and creating an environment that people want to come and work in.
We found out that by focussing on the most important elements, we are able to deliver what our customer both wants and needs.
So – what does matter most
1. Have a North Star
We have always been clear about what we want to do, by when and how. Clarity here means that, no matter how uncertain or difficult the environment might be, we can make the right decisions to move closer to our objectives. Our objectives must support and develop the reason we exist, which is to serve our customer. We make sure we are in open communication with our customer, which allows us to anticipate and adapt to any changing demands.
2. Have a plan
Don’t ‘wing’ it; it is the recipe for disaster. A plan that is measured tells you how you are doing on your journey. It also provides a handrail to get you back on track when you are diverted to a temporary, higher priority – which happens often and is the reality for a small team operating in the complexities of the public sector.
3. Tell your team about the plan
The people best placed to move the organisation on are the people in it – all of them. It is no good having a select few people ‘in the know’. A clearly communicated vision and the path to get there gives context all the way through the organisation, and lets people understand and embrace their part in it.
4. Choose your team and develop them, all the time
Pick people (in every role) who are aligned with your vision, who are technically great, and who will fit with the rest of the team. A coherent team will care about what you are doing and contribute to it. And don’t forget that things change both in and out of organisations – it is a constant. So, be generous and focussed with training and development, both personal and professional. These are important elements that empower people and provide resilience when things change – again.
5. Structure your business to enable success
Having spent a lot of time in recruiting the right people, don’t stifle them with the wrong structure (and processes). Focus on that structure that works for you, that enables collaboration, that cuts out silo mentality, and that rewards collective success. And, keep it under review.
6. Remember why you exist
We exist to provide a great service to our customer. By remembering this, and by getting the items above right, performance will follow. And with performance comes reputation, and with reputation comes growth.
We are proud of what we have achieved, and excited as to what is next. Affinity is a UK SME success story having grown from a start-up of 6 people in 2016 to around 200 employees this year.
But, in getting to where we are, we haven’t tried to duplicate the complexity around us. Rather, we have stripped it back to ensure that we have clarity about what we do, why we do it and how.
That’s how us, little fish, swims in the big pond.