STRONGER THAN EVER
Javier García Iza
CEO
IOS OFFICES
In literature, there are books that go beyond their pages, offering valuable lessons that we can apply to our lives as well as our businesses. One of my favorite books is Good to Great, by Jim Collins, an author whose research has been very useful in the business field.
A best seller, with more than 7 million copies sold, this book portrays Collins' research through a meticulous study of his principles and the application of his concepts regarding an entrepreneurial way of life.
Collins is also known for his previous work, Built to Last, During a promotional stop for this book, a CEO from the audience commented that while the book was good, he had issues making sense of it. The persistent question from the audience was: “What made these companies, ordinary in appearance, become extraordinary?”
In his next book, Good to Great, Collins details key concepts, such as level 5 leadership, "first who, then what," facing brutal facts, the hedgehog concept, culture of discipline, technology accelerators, and the "flywheel effect."
The key component in every extraordinary company is a great leader. In uncertain and challenging times, the stability and firmness of a leader become the backbone that maintains a path to success. Such leaders prioritize the long-term success of the company beyond their own personal ambitions, ensuring that those who will come next will be in a position to achieve even better results.
In this sense, human capital is the basis for long-term success. Leading companies not only focus on strategies and processes, but also recognize that strong talent is fundamental to move toward excellence. These exceptional companies invest time and resources in identifying, developing and retaining necessary talent, recognizing that people are the motor that moves both the objectives and the vision of the organization.
When you have one culture aligned with the organization’s goals, led by ethical principles, the achievement of significant results depends on making good decisions and their effective execution. The ability to make the right decisions involves confronting the facts, even when they are challenging or uncomfortable. The creation of an environment where the truth is valued is essential to avoid distortions in the perception of facts.
Another important concept mentioned by Collins is the "Hedgehog Concept," defined as demonstrating that within simplicity and a single strategy, there is always a new way to achieve more. This concept is derived from the intersection of three main principles: passion, excellence and economic engine, and reinforces the idea that understanding and visualizing a clear direction is the best way to achieve your goals.
Innovation also emerges as another essential pillar. The ability to adapt to new circumstances and think less conventionally when implementing emerging technologies has been key to the sustained success of these companies; setting a focus on being pioneers by implementing carefully selected technologies that demonstrate their functionality through creative uses, but always being aware that technology is more than just a trend, it is a relevant concept in a world that is rapidly transforming due to new technologies.
The last three years have been a challenging time in history. The simple act of going to work at your office became banned. As a lesson, resilience, innovation and the ability to overcome difficult times is what separates exceptional leaders from the rest. In the middle of such adversity, new companies emerged that are stronger than ever. What would be the common factor that made these companies excel? Resilience. In a complex and volatile world, resilience emerges as a fundamental attribute that guarantees the success and continuity of a company. The determination to transform a crisis into opportunities, gives leaders the chance to learn from mistakes and reinforce their operational capacity.
Discipline must be based on solid principles and a long-term vision to keep a company strong into the future. Implement different tools to maintain continuous momentum, explore the concept of the "flywheel effect," which states that a flywheel on an axis will spin when you push it; however, if you keep pushing it over and over again, there will come a time when it will continue to spin on its own and that is when the big question arises. What action caused it to continue spinning? The answer is the accumulation of all actions creating a constantly running engine that provides stability and efficiency.
At IOS OFFICES, we experience resilience, humility and inspiring teamwork. Humility is an important factor in leadership; however, it seems to be constantly underestimated. But it's that humility that allows people to learn from each other, recognize mistakes, and build stronger teams. Teams that overcome adversity, such as natural disasters, including floods, storms and, most recently, the COVID-19 pandemic. For IOS OFFICES, the pandemic was an event that confronted us with a new reality that forced our business model to an unexpected and uncertain stop, which led us to work on creative and innovative solutions that could keep the business afloat. Our entire team made a great effort that demonstrated commitment and resilience through hard work.
Our main objective is to offer world-class office spaces characterized by quality furniture, including chairs, desks, internet services and panoramic views. We strive to excel in our offerings, and it is gratifying to see a positive response from our community, who we value as an integral part of our workspace.
In 2024, I invite you to build an extraordinary future and to be stronger than ever, with resilience, innovation and, above all, humility as a guide toward opportunities that benefit our community, generating happiness and success.
This article was published in Mexico Business News, a website that offers access to the most relevant information about different industries, including articles of important business leaders, amongst them, our CEO Javier García Iza, who shares his latest publication about the persuit of happiness.