Every business owner experiences problems and frustrations (bottlenecks) in the operation of his business. A bottleneck is anything that prevents us from achieving the results we desire. It may be jobs that go over budget, shipments that are delivered late, insufficient leads, poor performance, equipment that isn’t maintained, etc. Problems and frustrations seem to go with the territory when you own a small business.
What if you could magically make your 3 biggest bottlenecks go away? What if you suddenly didn’t have to deal with the 3 biggest headaches in your business? How much better would your life, and your business, be? How much more would you enjoy running your business?
I’m not a magician, and I won’t claim that the process is easy. But I suspect it’s a lot easier than you might believe. If you dedicate yourself for 30 days, you can likely eliminate or greatly reduce your 3 biggest bottlenecks. The key is to have a process. And that process involves several relatively simple steps: 1. Identify the bottleneck—Name the problem or frustration.
2. Identify the cause—This may require some probing. Don’t settle for the first answer that pops into your mind. The real cause may not be obvious.
3. Identify the actions that will eliminate or prevent the bottleneck—What actions will lead to the desired results? This will likely require change.
4. Write a detailed list of the steps involved—Make a step-by-step list of all of the actions involved in achieving the desired results.
5. Train and implement those steps—Train the appropriate employees in the procedure.
We can’t assume that our employees, vendors, or others will do things the way we want or desire. I used to think that they should and then I realized that I had never told them. I’m not a mind reader, so why should I expect anyone else to be? If we want others to act in a particular way, we must tell them. If we want certain results, we must train our employees.
Consistent actions lead to consistent results. If the actions that are being taken are not getting the desired results, those are not the proper actions. If you are not consistently getting the results you want, you must change the actions. Only then can you take control of your business.
