Mirror mirror on the wall, which is the fairest in our industry after all?
Following a lengthy pause the image of a wise old man with a long white beard appeared in the reflection. The CEO was stunned at what he saw but utterly shocked when the image began to speak to him in a patient and loving tone.
“Compare yourself and your company to no other,” the wise man shared. “Instead seek only to know your numbers and always work to improve yourself and your team.”
The executive, somewhat perplexed, retorted, “ What do you mean, know your numbers and improve?”
The wise man quickly yet softly responded, “what are your Scorecards and KPIs telling you? What new learning have you realized by reviewing the information sitting dormant yet readily available in your CRM system?”
Sheepishly the CEO looked down. After a long pause he slowly raised his head, looked directly into the mirror and stated, “but we don’t have consistently used scorecards. The team does not use KPIs and our CRM system is a mess.”
The wise old man smiled broadly and spoke with authority yet compassion and simply said. “Then regardless of which direction you go, it really does not matter because you are guaranteed to get there. The question is, will you be happy with your final destination?” (Quote shamelessly modified from Lee Carrol’s Alice in Wonderland.)
Friends, The first half of the year is nearly over. How is your business performing? Is the team in full alignment and walking down the right road? Are business leaders making smart adjustments to ensure sales and profit goals are realized?
If your company is like the majority, there are grand opportunities for recalibration and redirection. The big question to ponder is how.
Here are three suggestions for your consideration.
- Self-Assessment – have you personally established simple yet specific professional goals? Key deliverables that you were to personally achieve during the first half of the year? Chances are, life got in the way. The daily grind of running a company is challenging. The distractions, fire drills and never-ending customer demands are always flowing. Staying disciplined and dedicated to one’s goals is paramount to helping others achieve theirs
- Self-Acceptance – No one is perfect. We all “fall down.” Even with the well designed plans, our efforts may not results in 100% achievement of desired outcomes. Laugh a little, especially at yourself. Understand that in life’s grand design, winning AND losing is part of the process. Celebrate your team’s victories and rally others when things fall short.
- Self-Improvement – Always, always establish individual and organizational goals. Memorialize the objectives with publically shared scorecards, KPIs and summaries of lessons learned. The documentation of outcomes is a clear reminder of the road being traveled and progress being made. With clarity and focus on desired results, individuals and teams can muster the resolve to produce positive outcomes.
It’s that time again! Review your numbers. Re-establish KPIs. Get clear. Get Focused. And most important, get going to ensure a strong back half of the year! And, by the way, if you don’t use scorecards, KPIs and CRM findings, don’t you think it’s time?
See you down the road.
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Speaking Events
Boom, Bust, Boom – 7 Steps to Building a Booming Business
Private C-Suite Executive Leader Event
Tuesday July 18, 2017
The Center Club
Irvine, CA
7:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.
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