If we really want our businesses to grow and be profitable, we must treat them like a business. That is not to say that every small business needs to run exactly like a finite capacity scheduling manufacturing model using only black-belt six sigma strategies, but it means even if we are not equating it to private space flight engineering, we need to treat the efficiency component with respect.
Now with that said we also must realize that the best businesses seem to have something extra that keeps them from becoming sterile, stale, and bureaucratic - the type of place people dread going. Not long ago the USA Today did a survey and it showed nearly 60% of the people "hate" or dislike very much their jobs. Hey, if you want to run a solid business, you can't be in that red zone on the pie chart.
You can go online and read all sorts of articles having to do with Business Architecture, Interior Design, Decorating, and find out about the latest cool pieces of furniture, supplies, and business equipment. That's all well and good, and you can hire a consultant who will use the latest architectural software to build a perfect façade for your building and design a friendly, fun, and cool interior. Still, there must be work flow to win the game, remember you are in business to make money.
So, you can buy famous pieces of architecture, art, furniture, and outfit your office with whatever you want, you can even Feng Shui your office to harness the secrets to success, money, longevity, wisdom, and profits too. By announcing to the office that you are using secret methods of feng shui, you might get some chuckles at first, but it's the first step in really walking the talk about a friendly and efficient work environment.
