If you are like most small business owners, you frequently experience frustrations and/ or undesired results. Employees who do not always perform as you would like, deliveries that arrive late, payments that aren’t collected promptly, poor quality work, and a myriad of other problems can torment the owner of a small business.
Most problems in a small business result from 1 of 2 causes: a lack of systems and procedures, or the procedure was not properly followed.
Consistent actions lead to consistent results. If we know the results we desire, and the actions that will lead to that result, successful performance is simply a matter of following the proper course of action. In other words, if A causes B, and we want B, then we should do A. If cooking the burger for 4 minutes on each side cooks it perfectly, then we should always cook a patty for 4 minutes on each side.
This may seem like an over simplification, but the truth is, actions have consequences. And those consequences are usually predictable. Thus, our business can achieve consistent, desirable results if we consistently take the proper actions.
Undesired results are a signal that we have not taken the appropriate actions. When we experience a problem or frustration within our business, we should view it as an opportunity to correct or implement a system. If customers are complaining that their burgers are undercooked, it is very likely that we didn’t cook it for 4 minutes on each side.
By developing and implementing systems in our business, we will consistently take the actions that produce the results we desire. If we want to prepare the perfect burger, then we must cook the meat properly, toast the bun, and assemble the ingredients in the proper amounts and in the proper order. If we want to operate a successful business we must similarly assemble its “ingredients”. Systems provide the guidelines and the standards for doing so.
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