VisionBridge

I’m totally guilty of it myself.  I think that switching from my Franklin Covey paper planner (that I have been using successfully since 1992) to a new Motorola Droid will improve my productivity.  Many of you can probably relate - we try these new things and then we realize…did this technology help or has it actually decreased my productivity?

I hear it from the businesses we work with as well.  They want to implement a new technology solution because it will help fix this problem or provide these new opportunities.  Many times it does.  Yet sometimes it does not.  How can we properly evaluate the right solution for our business?  Here are some questions to consider: 

• Can you conform your processes to the way the application works?  Or will the technology conform to your current processes?  How will day-to-day activities be affected by the new technology?
• Are you falling in love with the promise of what the technology offers?  How do those apply to your business?  Can the software do the job, but to do it for your company it would require purchasing another module (for more cost) or dramatically changing something else in your business that may not make sense?
• Have you completed a cost/benefit analysis?  What is the cost of the technology compared to the productivity gains you will achieve?  Have you measured (estimated) it for one year?  What about over 3-5 years?  If you estimate a longer period of time, more initially expensive technologies may actually end up costing less. 
• Can the application be customized to your business?  Small businesses have less to spend on application development compared to large businesses.  The technology may be able to accomplish the tasks you want it to, but does the cost outweigh the benefit?
• Will the new technology create a financial or functional dependency on it that will not allow you to change as technology, process, and business changes without excessive cost?  
• What is your capacity to implement the new technology?  Do you have people on staff that can manage the project or will you need to bring in outside consultants?
• What about training?  What is the skill level of the employees using the technology?  What is the time/resources required to train them?
• What are the key indicators to show whether the technology is saving time or steps?  How will you know if the implementation is successful? 

Sometimes a technology solution is the right choice.  Sometimes a better understanding and improvement of your processes, making them more efficient, can provide the value that you need.  Sometimes the software you currently use can be combined with improved processes to increase productivity. 

The bottom line is that deciding the right step for your business requires a thoughtful, strategic approach.  Asking these questions in the beginning will help you determine what the success metrics are and how they can be measured and achieved.  Consider them before your next technology implementation, whether you are considering a new application for your business or simply determining whether or not you “need” the new iPad!

I just finished the book How Full is Your Bucket by Tom Rath where he shares his philosophy on how we fill and empty our own and our friends/colleagues/associates buckets.  What filling one’s bucket means is to share positive affirmations and praise. What can we do to keep our employees happy and productive?  Add ”drops” to their bucket. 

Bucket filling takes deliberate focus and may be more difficult for some than others.  I once had someone tell my (perfectionist) daughter that anytime she felt negative about a situation she should say, “at least” and then think of something that she could say after that.  She was basically using mental conditioning to help guide her into filling her own bucket.  This naturally leads to filling others’ buckets which in turn refills ours and so on. 

In the past companies have tried to fill buckets in standardized ways such as employee of the month programs, plaques, etc.  Rath argues that while this may work for some it may actually infuriate others.  One of the facets of the book is that the positive affirmations or drops delivered need to be individualized, specific, and deserved.  Rath suggests that companies develop a culture of positivity and appreciation and from there the individualized appreciation flows naturally.  

Since the number one reason that people leave their jobs each year is because they don’t feel appreciated, it seems that we should give this bucket filling thing a try.  What about your company?  Do you have employees that seem negative, unappreciated, or unproductive?  Try filling a few buckets, give it a bit of time, and see what happens.

If you want to learn more, click here for more info on the dipper and bucket theory, and resources to incorporate it into your life and business.

I saw this quote in this month’s Inc magazine and loved it:

“It’s so funny when I hear people being protective of ideas.  (People who want me to sign an NDA to tell me the simplest idea.)…The most brilliant idea, with no execution, is worth $20.  The most brilliant idea takes great execution to be worth $20,000,000.  That’s why I don’t want to hear people’s ideas.  I’m not interested until I see their execution.”
-Derek Sivers

We’ve probably all done it…thought of a business idea and never acted on it and then saw someone else become successful with it.  Wonder what they did differently? 

All the greatest ideas in the world need to be taken down to the executable level.  To take action on your business ideas and strategies, there obviously need to be tasks associated with them.  The compilation of those tasks into repeatable and predictable tasks and results are business systems.  

For example, if you need 4 new clients a month, how many sales meetings do you need to have?  How many contacts do you need to meet to get a sales meeting?  Are you making those contacts week after week and keeping your team accountable to doing the same?  How are you tracking it?  These are crucial to your business. 

Each business will have different numbers for the example above.  The system you use for these types of tasks is your business’ unique DNA.  Build your unique systems in the beginning and change and refine as you go.  Then continue to execute, measure, and refine.  This is what will create value for your organization now and in the future.

I just read that McDonald’s first franchise operations manual was 15 pages long.  Can you imagine how long it is now?  Many volumes of hundreds of pages.  That’s the perfect example of building, executing, measuring, and refining.  And their idea was as simple as hamburgers.

Our friends at Silver Square post a Proust Questionnaire on their blog each week, a local spoof on a series of questions featured monthly in Vanity Fair magazine.  Check out the one on Nicole here!