First of all, we start off with understanding the direction of the organisation. Is there a clear plan? What are the aims and objectives? Is there a medium-term and longer-term vision and is this vision clear and communicated well?

There also needs to be a clear direction for the individuals, with an understandable path for each individual.

Who is responsible for what throughout the organisation? Is this clear to everyone? If the accountability at a certain level is foggy, this uncertainty tends to magnify itself throughout the organisation, inhibiting actions and creating obstacles to effective productivity.

It is important to establish clear lines of measurement as team members like to know where they are and to understand whether they are performing at par, below or above expectation. Unclear methods of measurement are often a source of significant and needless stress and having clear weights and measures that are understood by all ensures that all the team is working in the same direction and striving to achieve the same goals.

It is important to establish what authority each team member is allowed and also understand the perception of team members regarding the authority allowed to them. One individual may not be aware that he or she has the latitude to take certain decisions as this was never communicated clearly to that person. This will affect the speed of decision making and possibly also the feeling of empowerment and motivation of that individual.

Communications within an organisation can always be improved. This is something we work hard at on a daily basis within the Mdina Partners team, and we cannot emphasise enough the importance of getting this right. Communication may be upwards, downwards, diagonally (across teams) and sideways, and most of the training we deliver is aimed at improving communications as this is key to achieve all other aspects.

We strongly believe that any skills can be taught as long as the individual has the right attitude, and that is one area that is close to impossible to instill. We always advocate that organisations should invest in individuals who are passionate and interested in learning and achieving the company’s objectives. And if the attitude of certain individuals is not congruent with the company’s objectives, we may actually recommend a parting of ways as it will be difficult to achieve common objectives in this case.

A proper diagnosis of where a company is will uncover the root of any issues, ensuring that we tackle the root and not just the symptoms of a problem. Even a highly successful organisation may stand to benefit from such a diagnosis as there is always room for improvement.

It is often difficult for an organisation to diagnose itself. And this is where the Mdina Partners team come in. We lend our “helicopter vision” – our unbiased perspective - and our years of experience to understand your business and make our recommendations to help you achieve a higher level of success.

And like a tender gardener, we evaluate your business and work to cure each root and branch to ensure that the whole tree will flourish in the coming years.