“The art of measurement, by showing us the truth, would have brought our soul into repose of abiding by the truth, and so would have saved our life”.

Protagoras

What are the benchmarks in your business?  How do you know when your action plan is working?  How do you determine what to measure?  These are important questions successful business owners and leaders ask themselves.

So, what are the appropriate benchmarks which, if measured, would impact your action plan based upon certain results?  Most companies have sales related measurements.  It’s critical to stay abreast of market changes and sales performance by closely watching for trends.  Drilling down into the total sales revenue figure, you must also analyze where the sales come from within your product mix.  Determining this will help you analyze volume and margins, and may cause you to alter your focus on a certain product.

Performance measurement is key to managing staff.  Regular, effective performance reviews must be carried out without fail.  Employees need feedback, and a full understanding of employer expectations will result in better performance.  Poor performance which is not dealt with by management feeds bad morale with other performers. 

Performance reviews can be tied to key performance indicators, which will not only apply to the employee but could impact team performance measurements.  Key performance indicators are those areas critical to the operation that clearly identify the success of a department’s role in delivering the results.  For example, turnover ratio would be a valuable KPI measurement.

Measurement parameters are most effective when they are posted for all to see.  Whenever possible, create large wall areas for staff to clearly evaluate how each day’s productivity sorts to goal achievement.  This is a motivator for employees to perform, and provides an example of open, clearly communicated expectations.  You can’t measure what you can’t see.

Once measurement parameters are established, they must be reviewed and altered if necessary in order for the measurement to remain meaningful to your staff and to you.  Allow employees to participate in the decision making process to determine what should be measured, and how often.  Employees will respond better when they are vested in the process.

Effective measurement is a key component to any business achieving success.  Though it takes time and planning, measurement pushes results.  It allows management to evaluate what is working, and what is not working.

Coach Charrise

Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe said “No one would talk much in society if they knew how often they misunderstood others”.

One of the most common issues in business centers on information being mis-communicated or mis-interpreted.  It happens regularly between people, having a significant impact on the resulting relationship.  There is nothing more important to a productive work team than effective communication.  It’s what our progress as humans is built upon. 

It’s worthy to understand the process of communication, and the impact it is having upon your success in life.  The responsibility of properly communicating and effectively interpreting is equal in any relationship. It’s always a two way street; no one person being more responsible than another.

Communication is defined as the imparting or interchange of thoughts, opinions, or information by speech, writing, or signs.  Anything that prevents a full understanding of the message is considered a barrier to communication.  Here are some examples of common barriers to effective communication:

• Culture – our environment and experiences affect how we view things in terms of background and bias.  Past experience can help us to understand what is being said more easily; conversely, it can cause mis-communication when our bias changes the meaning and interferes with the communication process.
• Focusing on ourselves rather than listening to what the person is saying.  Factors that cause this are defensiveness (we feel we are being attacked), superiority (we feel we know more than they do), and ego (we are the center of activity).
• Perception – We may dismiss the person based on communication style.  Our preconceived notions affect the way we listen, and the degree of attention we pay to what is being communicated.
• The message can be distorted by focusing more on the facts than the idea.  Semantics can become an issue when a word is used incorrectly causing the message or tone to become mis-communicated.
• People do not see things the same way when they are under stress.  The filter changes, and people are more prone to get defensive and focus more on the emotion than the actual message being communicated.
• Body language sometimes sends a stronger message than the verbal communication

How does it feel to be misunderstood?  What is the value of being intentionally precise in your communication?  The extra effort to communicate and then confirm the take-aways from the communication is well worth the potential affects of mis-communication.

Set the example by being committed to intently listening without ego and bias, seeking first to understand.  Then, commit to speaking clearly and precisely.  Before the conversation is over, gain validation to be sure you heard and communicated the intended message.

We are all human, with different personalities and perceptions.  That’s what makes the art of communication both challenging and fun!  In the workplace, ineffective communication can significantly detract from productivity.  It can also steal away the joy you feel for the work you’re doing. 

Is it worth the extra effort?

Coach Charrise

 

Every day we are faced with choices and options.  Our life becomes the sum of these choices.  With every decision we make, we develop the pattern of our life.  Many times, we feel as though we don’t have viable options.  The truth is, we always do – we just may not like them.

It may seem as though, during the course of a day, the choices and options we make are not critically important in the big picture.  For example, choosing to buy a Starbuck’s coffee today will cost you $2.00.  Making that same choice tomorrow will cost you $2.00, but now you’ve spent $4.00.  Before you know it, that coffee costs you $520.  My point is that the series of choices you make add up to become your life.

Many times we make choices without too much thought.  We are blessed with free will, which allows us to shape and create the life we want.  But how many times could we make a more intentional decision and get an outcome that better drives our life’s mission? 

Being intentional about the way we spend our days will lead to a fuller, richer life.  Do something every day that drives your mission.  Be committed to a concerted effort to gain and keep momentum. 

You decide what your life looks like.  Why not choose to do the things that bring you joy, peace, and happiness?

Coach Charrise