For the last few months I am developing a framework, which I call ‘APPS’, for corporate executives. Every job and every role, in any company, comes with 4 simple measures. Here are the 4 fundamental questions every professional must ask themselves:
- Am I Accountable for my actions, my project, my company, my team and, above all, myself? (alternatively, at the company level, is the responsibility of a P&L unit really Accountable?)
- Is the work/project/initiative I am working on, giving Predictable results, which can be measured, and used for improvement? (at the company level, is the revenue/ expense of a P&L unit really Accountable?)
- If you work in a for profit environment, almost all actions should lead to Profitability. Whether one is a CEO or the junior-most person, one must directly contribute to the bottomline of the company. The more you contribute the more invaluable you will be to the company and to yourself. Are you adding to the profitability?
- Anyone who wants to have a decent career should make sure they deliver consistently to an organization. Then the question one must ask is this – Is your role/ function/ action Sustainable? In a VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous) world, when everything is at stake, is your role/ team/ company sustainable?
If you/team/company embrace the APPS framework, then there is a high degree of success. And that is the secret of survival in the new “new” economy. That’s the reason these 4 words have “ability” at the end of them
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