There Is No Such Thing As A Crystal Ball. Why You And Your Small Business Need A Plan.

Imagine what you could do if you had a legitimate, honest, real answer giving crystal ball?

Well, they do not exist.  And if someone tries to sell you one, hang up, unsubscribe, shut the door.  There are no shortcuts in life.  To attain any goal, you must first set the goal and then work toward it, which means you must have a plan.  

My current goal is to keep a clean house.  What does this mean at my house?  The main floor is ready for company at any time.  (Even though it might be several months from now).  No dishes in the sink, no toys on the floor, blankets folded on the couch, toilet seat down, no piles of mail anywhere, shoes in the mudroom, you get the picture. 

How am I doing moving towards this goal?  Much better than normal.  Why?  I created reminders and tasks to ensure things are picked up every night.  Alexa reminds the kids to pick up their stuff at 7:15pm, I won’t go to bed until the kitchen counter is cleaned, and I’m working VERY hard to not just walk over random items on the floor and put them away on the spot.  If something happens to be left out – I take it and put it in a bag in a closet.  If someone misses it quickly, they can have it with a reminder that if it is left out again, it is gone.  If they never ask about it again, it goes in the donation pile.

Why is my house staying company ready? What is working now that did not work in the past? 

1)    I have identified my realistic ideal state – ‘Company ready house’ at any time – and communicated that with my family – aka my team.
2)    I have recognized current state – messy house, things on the floor, dishes on the counter and more!
3)    I have observed and collected info on where we fail – mostly excuses:

 “I’ll do it tomorrow”

“Can’t I just leave one toy out?”

“I’ll use that mug again”.

“I’ll pick that up in the morning”.

My team also hates it when we skip daily clean-up and must clean up 5+ days of toys, clothes, shoes, etc.

Oh, and they do not like my nagging……and neither do i.

4)    I have worked with my team to create countermeasures to all the excuses we have. We do a little every-day, so the mess never builds up.
5)    Current measurement of success?  Its day 6 and so far, so good!  Nothing has been put in the future donation pile although there is a barbie that has been on the floor almost 24 hours. (But who is counting).

Current observation?  We are winning!  Now, we are only on day 6, but I am going to be positively reinforcing the great work that everyone contributes.  Who knows, maybe there is a trip to the DQ in our future?

Why did I just tell this story?  This is exactly what small businesses (really any business) should do to create predictable results.  This is why small businesses need a strategic plan.

1)    What’s my company’s mission, vision and ideal future state?
2)    Where are we today?  What am I measuring? What processes are failing? Where are we losing money?
3)    Document and brainstorm the gaps between your ideal and your current state
4)    Take those gaps and turn them into a project plan – who, what, when and how.
5)    Implement measurements so you know if you are winning or losing.  If you are not measuring, you are only practicing.

Reach out today to understand how JointPivot is helping companies achieve predictable results.  We have been helping all types of companies create and implement their strategies, visualize their value stream and identify key business processes.  Using our methods our clients have reduced costs, increased efficiency and improved company morale and motivation.