Looking at a business as a ship is one of my favorite metaphors  and one of my thoughts has been centered on the collection of information”

• Current position?
• Does the ship leak?
• Quantity of fuel?
• How far could we travel?
• What are possible destinations?

It is my belief that gathering information and then counting is a primary source of success when that information aids in the decision-making process.

Every Business we work with consists of seven areas:  1. Office, 2. Accounting, 3. Marketing, 4. Sales, 5. Production, 6 Physical Plant and 7. Management

Often, people assume that area #2 is relegated to the accounting of money, but in fact our concern goes far beyond money alone.

Please, don’t be confused. Money is the fuel that drives the engine of the ship and knowing how much fuel you need and how much you have and how much you can expect to get is critical. But there are many more things to count in a business.

It is helpful to decision-making if a company counts and evaluates.

1. Productivity of support staff.
2. Timeliness and accuracy of reports.
3. Effectiveness of Marketing efforts.
4. Success of Sales staff.
5. Productivity of field personnel.
6. Use of space within the buildings and trucks.
7. Effectiveness of the Management team.

In each of these areas objective quantifiable measurements have to be used and standards of compliance must be created.

No report or analysis is worth the time unless within a 12 month period it has been actively used to make decisions “to do things differently”.

When you look at Office personnel some areas you might count would be:

1. How many phone calls can be handled effectively by the call takers?
2. How quickly are customer service questions and problems answered or resolved?
3. What is the ration of correctly filed material to that which is misfiled?
4. Are communications with internal and external Customers clearly executed and correct?

In the next few posts I will continue to share some of my specific observations and perspective regarding counting in the six remaining areas of business

It was about eleven years after I started Business Navigators that I read chapter five and suddenly it all made sense.

It’s the third key. And that focus has more power than almost anything else.

One day Marcus Buckingham said to his boss, “I wonder if the Harvard Business School’s rules for Managers still are valid?”

His boss said, “How would you find out?”

Marcus replied,  “Well, I’d interview some successful Managers and they would tell me.”

Marcus’ boss was Donald O’Clifton, the head of the Gallop poll organization with enormous interviewing resources who said, “Good Idea, Go Ahead”.

Over eighty thousand Managers in more than four hundred companies were interviewed.

What did Buckingham discover about ‘The Rules for Managers’?   The title of his book says it all, “First, break all the rules”.

Great managers concentrate on four keys after they understand this ‘Revolutionary Insight’.

• People don’t change that much
• Don’t waste time trying to put in what was left out
• Try to draw out what was left in
• That is hard enough

The first key: Select for Talent

The second key: Define the Right Outcomes

The third key: Focus on Strengths

The fourth key: Find the right fit.

It’s that third key that clarified my focus in consulting.

I have been behaving that way since before I started this business. But, Buckingham’s chapter five and his following book, “Now, Discover Your Strengths” supported, with facts, something I really believe.

Multiplying a person’s strengths is more valuable than trying to reduce their weaknesses and, oh yes, a lot more fun!

There is so much of value in this book.  Chapter seven: ‘Turning the Keys: A Practical Guide’ is an wonderful summary and call for action.

I’ve used the twelve questions, first mentioned in Chapter 1, with many of the companies I’ve served. Those questions are remarkable and the answers from those associates are extremely telling and most useful.

I’ve had to purchase new copies of this book over three times because they keep wearing out.

In two weeks we will explore Buckingham’s wonderful book, “Now, Discover Your Strengths