You’re out walking when you happen upon an open field with a steady breeze. You aren’t surprised to find a kite dotting the sky.

Looking at the broader picture, you notice the flittering leaves scooting along their terrestrial way at the whim of the very same breeze that lifts the kite. They will never reach that better view enjoyed by their more refined cousin. Because they can’t generate the lift.

Of course not.

Blown by the Wind? 

Leaves cannot fly. They are hurled haphazardly by the wind.

Many businesses succumb to the winds of daily challenges. Drifting unpredictably, they rely upon quick fix sales to entice new customers at the expense of profits.

Employee turnover and low morale are symptomatic of leaf-like instability as they tumble along to the bluster of challenges encountered in normal business operations.

A kite can fly. But only when it is bridled to something bigger than itself.

It is part of a system that creates lift: A leader with a vision. A plan. Knowing when to just stand still or to run with it. The line is taut. The whole structure moves together and the kite rises high into the sky.

The System

Your business is that kite. That system. You see it rise, gaining lift as a result of your team working together. Every employee knows and understands your vision. Your business moves together as a whole. Loyal customers return to you because they know what to expect because they trust that they will find what they want from you. The system is responsive. Cohesive. Interconnected.

The strength of your company is in the strength of your team. They are the line that controls it. Your team is the underpinning that must not fail. Their strength and cohesiveness is your company’s voice and culture. Every communication, web page, greeting and handshake must reflect the ideals of your company.

Your Voice

Your voice, that you control, instills and reinforces your ideals and core values to every member of your team. Your voice must resonate through regular training and open communication. If it does not, your company becomes a leaf, blown haphazardly by the wind.

Apathy, confusion, inconsistency are the result.

Your company culture is a function of its internal communication. A healthy company culture is the result of effective communication that instills your ideals. Regular training builds cohesiveness and unity among your team. When there is unity, your team reflects the voice of the company.

A Strong Brand Keeps the Line Taut

What about the experience you give your customers? Is it what they expect? Your advertising messages must, as Roy H. Williams says, make people think of you first and feel the best about you. But you must deliver the experience you promise. What they believe about you is your brand. That picture of you they hold in their mind. When your brand is strong and your team reinforces it, your line is taut and your kite will soar.

When the Winds Change

You need to see your business as your customers do. Listen and watch with open-minded attentiveness. Winds will change, obstacles will rise and you need to be consistent in delivering what your customers expect.

If you aren’t consistent, the kite will lose lift and tumble back to the earth as a leaf.

Many businesses are leaves but with a strong vision and a firm grip on the line, their fragile leaf structure can be transformed into a kite that sails high into the sky.

A kite’s strength comes from the hands that control it.

A kite will only fly when it is joined to something bigger than itself. To a system that creates lift.

Drive thy business! — Let not it drive you.

-Benjamin Franklin

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