Every Company Needs a Good Map

Being effective is not simply doing more. You can spin your wheels when you are stuck in the mud and it will not matter if the car does not move. You can have a high batting average in baseball and it can mean a great deal for you but if the rest of the team does not produce results as well you will not win many games.

Business transformation is a process that takes many steps. As Modern Magellans we need to plan our course of action with specific goals in mind. Allowing some freedom to change course when necessary and building in some flexibility and variety helps to keep things fresh. It is important to try new things when appropriate but it is also important that you not waste time on methods that do not produce results.

As I stared out at my backyard the other day, I noticed a rather large area of the grass that is bare. It seems a combination of rabbits, bugs, and hot weather has attacked my yard. To fill this area I have many choices but some will be more effective than others. I can:

1. Put in a pool - this is the most expensive, popular with the sons. Eliminates lawn problems permanently.
2. Buy sod - already grown, covers the spot immediately, but it is one of the more expensive answers.
3. Spread grass seed and water - less expensive and time consuming.
4. Repair damage then treat area - Fix the hole in the fence, treat the soil and then water. Actually the least expensive but often most frequent choice taken, except for the next one:
5. Ignore it and hope no one notices - since my garden has gotten a bit of a favorable reputation people come over expecting a good show. So, this is not really an option
   

 (Picture is my yard, a work in progress)

The business analogies are...

not hard to imagine. In fact if you think about them enough you will certainly come up with more ideas. Here are a few to get you started:

1. Installing a pool is like a complete make-over for your company. Changing what you do and doing something else. A baseball card shop that becomes a sporting goods store. A drive-thru fastfood stand that becomes a photo-developing store. A manufacturer that becomes a service business. These are drastic changes that should not be made without great care and planning.
2. Buying sod is like hiring people, consultants or new employees, that have skill and knowledge of your market and business, or buying a competing business to fill a hole in your operation.
3. Planting grass is like hiring new employees that need to be trained or spending money on public relations, marketing, and promotions to try to change public perception. By throwing more people and money at the problem it may be solved.
4. Looking for the cause of the damage is like determining what is the root of the trouble, determining the appropriate solutions to each cause and treating each cause not just covering it up.
5. Ignoring the problem is not really a solution. It is however, a great help to your competitors. There are things that left untreated will heal themselves and they can be learning experiences for those involved. To leave something untended because of inaction is not the same as leaving it to resolve itself intentionally.

The 4th option made me think about the watering issue. Is it best to water the center or the edges of a problem area? The edges. Why? Because that is where you already have growth. It is easier to expand that growth than it is to get new seeds or seeds in the soil to grow. This is of course like working with existing customers to grow your business, as opposed to trying to find new customers who do not currently know you.

Effectiveness is about doing the Right Thing, at the Right Time, and in the Right Place. You could add: (If any of this reminds you of the Noble Eightfold path - just remember truth is truth.)

• Right Way
• Right Attitude
• Right Reason
• and......