Do you remember the story (that was actually a fable) of the Dutch boy who stuck his finger in the dyke where it was leaking and saved the country of Holland from disaster? If the boy hadn’t put his finger in the dyke the water would have continued to flow. The hole would have continued to get bigger and bigger till the dyke would have collapsed. That one tiny finger on that brave little boy saved everything.
If you follow pro football then you know that in the front line, the linemen are really important as they protect the critical position of the team’s quarterback. The last thing any team wants is to have the quarterback get injured. So if there is a position in the front line that’s not working the team needs to plug the hole to make sure the quarterback is protected.
For business success on a consistent basis, you need to plug the holes!
You need to say to yourself:
- Where are the holes?
- In the overall business?
- In my position of leadership within the company?
- What’s not working?
- What needs to change?
- What, if not given the necessary attention, will only get to be a bigger and bigger issue till it becomes a huge problem to deal with?
- What issues, if addressed now rather than later, can be easily managed and make the company a better place to work at or to buy from?
As the CEO, president, founder or business owner of the company ask additional questions, such as:
- Does the company have the right marketing message?
- Has the company website been updated lately? Is it mobile friendly?
- Does the company have the right employees in the right positions?
- Is customer service the very best it can be?
If you don’t identify and plug the holes any one of these holes – or others- can keep you and the business in a position of failing – which is exactly what you don’t want to do. This requires a lot of objectivity and time to really think things through. Don’t do anything in a hasty manner. You want to be pro-active not reactive.
Every day you work at improving the things that are working. Now you need to work at improving upon the things that aren’t working.
So let’s get things done. If it’s working: great! Let’s make it happen.
If it’s not working, why isn’t it working? What needs done to get it humming along like other things are in the business?
Remember: Every single thing you do during your business day is important to your success and the company’s success. If something isn’t right, and you know it isn’t right, let’s take care of it and make it right.
Every day to maximize business success ask: Where are the holes that need to be plugged?
Keep a list. Not just in your head but write it down so you can easily refer to it and check off the items as the holes get plugged. You’ll have a sense of accomplishment and a better run business.
This blog post also appeared on Linked Into Business.