DON'T LET YOUR ORGANIZATION BECOME A COOKED FROG
I recently decided to sell a vacant piece of rental property. After walking through it with my realtor, we created a list of priority work and renovations that needed to be addressed before listing the property for sale. He provided me with many highly-recommended contractors to get bids. I reached out to some of the actual customers who had used these recommended contractors and confirmed their high quality of work. However, after only a few days of calling, texting and e-mailing, I quickly learned that these businesses were so busy “doing” quality work with their current customers that they didn’t appear to have the time to give prospective new customers, like me, the attention needed to secure additional work. Was this a classic example of becoming a victim of your own success?
The Story of the Frog
They say that if you drop a frog into a pot of boiling water, he’ll quickly jump back out. However, if you set him in lukewarm water with another frog and slowly increase the heat to the point of boiling, they will both remain in the pot to their ultimate demise. Although the surroundings changed dramatically, the newly introduced distractions along with the slow gradual nature of the change didn’t cause them to react quickly enough to change their fate. This can just as easily happen to a business.
Get the Priorities Right
As any organization grows rapidly, it’s easy to be consumed executing the day-to-day work created as a result of that success. If the leaders aren’t proactive and intentional about the direction of the organization, the growth will quickly halt or even worse, drop. In every business or business segment, there are a few precious priorities that represent the disproportionate larger share of the business outcomes and successes. The leader’s most important role is to clarify those key priorities and to make sure the team is performing like rock stars on each of these items.
Action Steps
So, let’s translate it to your team… What are the few vital priorities your team must get right every time? How are you ensuring they hit home runs in every case? Give your business an honest evaluation and make sure you protect the core elements that drive your continued long-term success!
