Weekends at our house are typically for reviewing and organizing. Our life is a whirlwind with four young children and both husband and wife working full-time. By the time kids are in bed, we may have an hour or so to chat uninterrupted or have some “me” time.
Business can often feel this way too. We are too busy navigating our targets and responsibilities that we fail to step back to review and organise.
In my business, and most probably in yours, it is in reviewing and organising that true gems can be found.
The great thing is that for many businesses, although sales may have slowed, it presents opportunity to take an account of what you have. We believe that without having clarity over where you are now, it is very difficult to instruct meaningful and measurable positive change in your business. Obviously, everyone’s business is constantly changing, but when looking to make a calculated and beneficial move that takes you forward, it only makes sense to have a reference point (current state) from which to assess what changes need making and from which you can measure impact once change has been made.
In our family, there is an almost unending amount of “stuff”, everywhere. For those without kids, its almost like leaves in autumn; you can’t stop them coming down, and as soon as you’ve raked them up, more appear! Over the Christmas break, we decided to take a look at what this junk actually was. It turns out, most was useful, and that it just didn’t have a “place” to live. By understanding what we had, we were able to chart out a meaningful plan that enabled us to
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a) not lose things,
b) empower our kids to keep the place tidy
c) teach our children a lesson in staying organised, and
d) create a more tidy home environment.
Needless to say, the results were well received by all, and while the beginning was painful and engendered some grumbling from all ages, the results have made a lasting difference for all of the four categories mentioned above. Now, I hadn’t planned for these four things to happen. These opportunities appeared as I took inventory of my “today”. This small example is meant to illustrate how powerful going through this process can provide any organisation of any size with tangible benefits.
During an IT Health Assessment , a consulting project my company, The IT Guys, delivers for clients of all sizes and verticals, we spend time documenting the current state of a company’s IT, both technically and process-wise. We spend just as much time discussing the organisation’s current aims, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and challenges. We look at the now, but we also look ahead. What results is much more clarity for the client in terms of how IT is being used in their business today, what works well, and where the gaps risks and opportunities are. The opportunities for maturing and greater efficiency / impact appear almost instantly.
If you can regularly apply the simple principle of “review” to your life and your organisation, you will surely reap tangible benefits, both immediately visible and more often than not, benefits that become apparent as time goes on.
