Who doesn't have a problem with their business?
When you think about it, so much of what business is about is solving problems. And be honest, which of these describes the way in which you deal with your troubles most of the time? ...
- in a firefighting, haphazard, chaotic, stressed and
rushed way
- in a considered, systematic and positive-minded way
Or perhaps neither - maybe you just ignore your problems
and hope they go away!
I invite you to try this considered, systematic and
positive-minded approach to dealing with the problems in
your business for a week.
When you feel frustrated with a problem in your
business, write it down in a notebook. Each note just
needs to be a few words like "the phones aren't being
answered promptly" or "we just missed out on a contract
to our biggest competitor".
When you've done this for a week:
- Review your notes and look for common themes - perhaps
there are particular departments, processes or products
where problems are arising
- Stand back and observe the real impact these problems
have on you, staff, customers from an emotional
standpoint - for example, frustration, anger, loss of
enthusiasm
- Now quantify anything and everything that might be a
result of this situation - for example, lost time, lower
productivity, lost revenue, lost customers ... very soon
you'll realise that every frustration eventually costs
your money
- Next, observe the frustration objectively by not blaming
people - instead focus on the systems and processes to
dissect what is really going on
- Identify the areas that can be improved and fix them by
using a mix of logical and intuitive problem solving
techniques
Does this sound like a lot of time and effort? Not at
all. It takes less time than firefighting does -
quantify it and you'll see for yourself.
Click here to find out more about systematic problem solving >>