Last month, I tried teaching a friend
how to drive. I thought I would just explain
a few things and somehow manage.
But something surprising happened. I discovered
a teacher within myself.
I was helping him learn reverse gear,
and I saw the same pattern I had experienced
two months earlier. At first, he was
very cautious about every move of his legs
and hands—brake, accelerator, mirror, and
steering. He made several mistakes initially.
But about an hour into practice, his
muscle memory began to take over. The
cognitive load reduced. That’s when I realised
the power of the subconscious mind.
It made me think that perhaps the reason
we struggle in many areas of life and
business is that we try to do everything
consciously. We forget that real mastery
begins when things shift to the subconscious.
And that requires consistent
practice.
As entrepreneurs, our job is much the
same. We should not just tell people what
is right. We should build an environment
where the right things happen automatically—
where integrity is natural, not
something people have to be reminded
about. The only real way to do that is by
example. People don’t learn much from
what we say. They learn from what we do.
So building a strong organisation is not
just about vision. It is about creating
the right environment where the
conversion of vision
into action is natural
and requires minimal
cognitive effort. There
are three things that every
great organisation
does. They may sound
like clichés, but they remain
the basis of success.
People are the foundation
A friend of mine hired a very skilled employee.
On paper, the person was perfect;
with great experience and strong knowledge.
But within a few months, things
started breaking down. There was constant
friction in the team. Later, he realised the
problem was not skill, but attitude and
alignment. The person didn’t fit the existing
culture of the organisation. Remember,
people are not “resources”. They are the
foundation. If the foundation is weak or
misaligned, nothing can stand upright.
Process is the invisible wiring
I saw a business where everyone was talented,
but there was chaos. The same task
was done differently by different people.
Everyone was busy, but results were inconsistent.
Then they introduced simple
processes: checklists and clear ownership.
Suddenly, things started improving. Errors
reduced, speed improved, and people felt
less stressed.
Process is like the wiring in a building.
You don’t see it, but it ensures everything
works smoothly.
Technology is the amplifier
In 2015, a small business was tracking data
in notebooks, following up through calls,
and managing work through memory. The
results were poor.
Then they shifted to basic tools— Excel,
Google Forms, reminders, etc. Interestingly,
the same team, with the same effort,
started achieving more. Technology didn’t
replace people. It acted as an amplifier of
their capacity.
Remember the simple framework of
PPT—People, Process, and Technology.
These are the building blocks of every successful
and scalable organisation.