Business on a Diet

Keeping your business in check isn't something you have to do every day but it does have to be done at some point in time. Too many companies today are falling victim to infrastructure breakdowns due to the lack of experienced or qualified people to execute the business strategy that was supposed to save them from their current demise.

With this in mind, I note that not a lot of companies maintain or perform a regular inventory of the people skills that are at their disposal. Many companies may be surprised to find that there are many skilled individuals within their organizations that just haven't been given the opportunity to demonstrate them.

It should come as no surprise that "resourcefulness" is more of an issue than the actual number of resources available. Management simply fails to recognize the talent pool that is willing and able to get the tasks done and second to that - JUST ASK.

I recommend performing a review of the major business processes in the organization and understanding what is relevant and what is just "pretty paper". Then, align the resources within the organization to perform the absolute necessities to sustain your business. NOTE: If you're not using the data to manage your business - STOP doing it. Focus on the key indicators and metrics of your business and use them to drive performance in REAL TIME.

The right people, in the right place, doing the right things will yield results. The key is determining what is truly RIGHT. There isn't a book in the world that can teach you what is best for your business. There are numerous tools available at your finger tips, but the wrong tool can't be expected to provide the right results.

Keep this in mind as you focus on your business and the results you are striving to achieve. If you don't understand the core competencies required to manage your business, it is difficult to determine whether you have the right people to get the job done.

Putting your business on a diet starts by not sugar coating the core message. Lean up or move on.