Boredom is the Result of Ineffective Processes

There is no question that doing business can be more complicated than ever. But many owners and managers operate in a process vacuum. There's nothing more worthless than a perfunctory executive meeting where everyone just goes through the motions and no strategic decisions are made. Over the years, how often were there times when sheer boredom was the only item accomplished on the agenda?

Every business has their own style and culture, but some patterns of behavior inspire people to perform. Here are five real-world lessons to avoid the process vacuum.

1) Remove the blinders and see where you are. The most important part of a process is articulating the vision; where you are and where you need to be. In an effective business process, managers rise above the paperwork to have clarity of the process and navigate through the activities that lead to a specific result. 

2) Don't lose your sense of humor. There’s a huge difference between serious business decisions with big implications and taking yourself too seriously. People and teams are more effective and make better decisions when the mood is lightened.

3) Hard work is the best inspiration. Objects in motion are more likely to stay in motion. Nothing inspires great work more than working hard, accomplishing goals, achieving milestones, and winning business. Absolutely nothing.

4) Challenge people to excellence.  The best and most successful CEOs expect their people to be the best at what they do. Hold people accountable for their responsibilities, provide necessary resources and training, support decisions, and acknowledge efforts.

5) Measure and track results. Focus on measurable goals to track the impact of your work. Establish a continual process of asking questions so results are relevant and perceptive.

Effective business processes focuses on meeting the needs of the customer and delivering a good or service that will fulfill that need. 

Can Popcorn Improve the Bottom Line?

In business, when something is working or doing what it is supposed to do, we tend not to look at it. When it breaks, we will fix it. There are more pressing issues to focus on that requires our time and attention.

Take the self-service popcorn machine in the corner of the local pub. It’s been doing its job for many years; maybe decades. It makes popcorn. If the light bulb burns out or the stirring mechanism in the pot stops, you fix it. Although it may have seen better days, its working fine.

Let’s think about it as it is part of a business process.  

The Need to Admit that We have Become Ineffective

The fact is that when most people are stuck they have lost the power of choice. They are unable, at certain times, to bring into their consciousness with sufficient force the memory of what being stuck does to them. They are without defense against it in the moment.

We need to admit to ourselves that something is wrong. We have created this mess in our life. We admit this and quit trying to fool ourselves into believing something else.