Stay Focused and Simplify
Inc.com had a great article this month titled: Rules for the Next 12 Months, by Howard Tullman. It starts with “It’s tempting now to want to rush back to whatever normal is. But trying to get too far ahead of todays reality can bite back.”
He focuses on two critical ideas “simplification” and “slow down stay focused. Look before you leap; take your time. This is not a sprint.” We are all anxious to get back to normal but there is still a lot of uncertainty in the economy. While everyone is excited that the economy is roaring back you want to make sure that you can provide your customers with quality work. “It’s imperative, especially now, that getting a few critical things really right and delivering consistently and successfully on those crucial needs for everyone will be far more important than trying to do too many things all at once. It’s not how much you do; it’s how well you do what you do.”
It’s important to make sure that you can keep your promises to your customers. While your business may be ready to take on projects, you want to make sure that your staff, suppliers and subcontractors are also up to the task. You do not want to assume that everyone is up to your speed. Most of us are only as good as our supporting suppliers. This restart gives you an opportunity to evaluate your business with fresh eyes and break some relationships that are more habits than good business decisions. Stop doing certain things because that’s the way things have “always” been done.
The MSN article “When Getting Back to ‘Normal’ Doesn’t Make Sense” emphasizes how this is a good opportunity to break bad habits. The article reads, “In fact, now is precisely the time when it’s most important to get back to basics and to focus on solid execution and on delivering on the promises you’ve made to yourself, your employees, and your customers. To ask not just how and when, but why as well.”
This is also a time when you need to be flexible with your employees. You want to make sure that you clearly define job descriptions, hours and understand any issues they still might be facing with childcare or supporting a partner that may be job searching.
As the MSN article says “Slimming down, getting rid of as much old news and excess baggage as possible, making sure that what you’re doing matters to the customer or end user, and showing that you understand that almost nothing going forward is likely to be ‘business as usual’ will demonstrate to all concerned that you’re focused on the future and not the past.”