Hard to believe we are two months into 2012. Wasn’t it just the holidays?
Shouldn’t we still be getting off the ground with our new plans? Nope. We are
going to be finishing up the first quarter THIS month!
So where do you stand? Have you hit your targets? Completed your projects as
scheduled? Gotten off to a running start? If not, why not? You have heard it
said many times that you can’t make something new or better happen by using the
same old methods. If you are not pleased with where you stand, its time to try
something new before too much more time passes.
The next question may be “what do I need to do differently?” That
can be a bit more difficult as it depends on where you are and the challenges
your company faces. But here are a few suggestions that almost any company can
apply.
1. If you don’t have a plan, make one. We are so much more effective it we
have goals.
2. If you don’t have good teamwork, fix it. No one person can make enough
difference; it takes a village. So rather than start a project, start a
movement. A terrific entrepreneur, Danny O’Neill of the Roasterie (read his
Interview coming up next week), started a Culture Club to focus on how to
improve the work environment while challenging the team to a 10x improvement.
3. Be sure people are held accountable. Institute a high transparency
performance management plan (ask me about the one I use–it is great!) so that
everyone knows where they stand and what is expected.
4. Major in the majors. I strongly believe in the 80/20 rule. We can move
the needle substantially if we focus on a few of the most significant things.
In fact, the payout is often better if we work on fewer but more meaningful
projects. Cut back what you are working on and do them really, really well.
Let me know how these suggestions impact the end of first quarter. Do you
like where you stand now?