One of the more difficult tasks our clients encounter is how to accurately measure the impact of a change in their business. Change is hard. Measuring and quantifying the full impact of the change can be even more challenging.
The first quarter of the year is a good time for businesses to start making changes. Most have set their goals for the year and they are gung ho to put them in motion. We currently have a number of clients who are doing some combination of changing or adding new locations, adding employees, or restructuring their current teams. Most of our clients also have process initiatives they are working on to improve work flow and efficiencies. Change is all around their businesses – which is great, but it can also be a problem if it’s not implemented well and monitored.
Measure twice, cut once. (English Proverb)
If you have ever spent time working with a carpenter or seamstress, you have probably heard this statement. It means exactly what it says; double check your length before cutting. If you cut the material too short, you can’t re-attach what you cut off and expect to have the same result. Cutting it too long is safer, but if you cut it too long, you still waste time, because you will have to cut it again.
In business, this proverb can have a number of applications. Two of them are:
Planning: The most obvious is taking the time to plan before you make a change. Discuss the objectives and goals out loud with your team or other business professional before you start making changes. Take their feedback into consideration. This is measuring twice. When you start making the changes, don’t make so many at one time that you can’t quantify what is driving the impact of the change. It isn’t always possible to make a single change at a time, but too many changes at once make it difficult to discern exactly what is giving you the best return on investment. This is cutting once.
Communication: Effective communication is at the heart of a successful business. During times of change, clear communication is important if you expect your team (and your customers) to understand your objectives. In the pressures of business it is easy to say something you later wish you had not said. The more you have going on, the greater the chance for this to happen. Think “measure twice”, before you bark out a command or fire off an email. Try to pause just long enough to make sure you really want this to be your message before you say or send it. That is cutting once.
You can easily come up with several more applications for the “Measure twice, cut once” proverb in your business; interactions with customers, vendors, and in your personal life. In business stopping to reflect on the proverb should be part of your standard operating procedure. Are you using the proverb in your business? How would you rate yourself in applying the principles? Do you spend a lot of time trying to patch things back together? Are you moving with so much caution that you have to recut your board multiple times before it fits? A coaching session where we talk out loud about your plan can be of great benefit.
As always we appreciate hear your thoughts. Call Bonnie at 931-456-4910 to schedule a business coaching session. Have a great week!
