There seems to be a lot of talk these days about focus and how important it is to the success and value of a business. The question is focus on what? And, if a business owner is not sure what they are supposed to be focused on, how important can it be? Remember the song about the hip bone connected to the leg bone, and the leg bone connected to the shin bone? That’s the way things work in businesses. For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. When a business owner gets his or her people doing only those things that move the business closer to its vision and goals, it moves away from distractions and mistakes.

Make it run like a Swiss watch.

The easiest businesses to sell look like they are self-managed. Inquiries are routed to the right person, bills are accurate and get out on time, customer expectations are met and employees enjoy their work. Too far from reality to comprehend? The truth is there are firms that perform this way … they are self-managed.

How does one get his or her business to that level of performance? By creating a high degree of focus in the work force where each employee is crystal clear on the business’ purpose, how it serves its clients, the value they are there to deliver, and what they are trying to achieve as a team. When an employer hires someone, does he or she ask the new hire to commit to the values that the firm lives and operates by? Are there job descriptions, or goals and responsibilities? Does he or she as a business owner really care how it gets done as long as it gets done on time, within budget and without disrupting other members of the organization? An employer needs to make it clear to his or her staff why the business exists and exactly what role they play in its’ success. The employer will thereby be well on his or her way to helping their people manage themselves.

Make it easy to operate.

Self-managing, highly focused businesses are easier to operate. Their culture rejects non-contributors because discipline exists at the co-worker level. Employees depend on one another … not management, and won’t tolerate anyone who hinders their ability to achieve their goals. When the pressure for performance is taken away from the management, management is free to do more creative and strategic work. The more effectively management can invest in making their organization better, the less work leadership has to do, which reduces the amount of technical skill the ownership must posses to be effective. All of these factors make it look like an easy transition from one owner to another. If the underlying perceptions are accurate, the concerns of the potential buyer shift from fixing existing problems to not interfering with success. Make it easy for your prospect to make a good buying decision.

Expand the pool of potential buyers.

Reducing the need for technical skills increases the pool of available buyers, which in turn leads to greater demand, competition and increased value. By shifting the buyers’ mindset from, "How do I fix the problems here" to, "I don’t want to be competing with these people," you win the war before you go to battle.

Focus is all about tuning a business to run as smoothly and consistently as a Swiss watch. When every member of an organization can feel the connection between his or her job and achieving the vision, a powerful force is created: the highly focused organization. When that happens, the demands on management decrease and the level of technical skills required to maintain performance is minimized. These factors combine to make the asset more viable to a broader group of people, and through that larger pool of potential buyers, demand is also increased while raising value.

Larry Mendelberg is a partner at Beyond Point B (www.beyondpointb.com), which helps organizations transform into focused, high-energy workplaces. They work with executives and senior managers committed to building powerful, results-oriented organizations.