subject: What Will You Change In 2011? [print this page] Everyone makes new years resolutions, lose weight, be nicer, whatever. Research shows almost nobody meets those new goals.
Businesses are no different, after the holidays everyone comes back to work energized and committed to starting the New Year with a clean slate. The success rate for businesses is no better than our personal resolutions, most businesses simply fail to execute strategy and sustain improvement programs.
Why is that? Common sense tells us if we keep doing the same things well keep getting the same results, but thats exactly what most of us do.
Ive written numerous times that change is hard but there has to be more to it than that. We can change we just need to proper motivation. One quote I heard on change that made the most sense was we change only when the pain of changing is less than the pain of staying the same. Unfortunately then its often too late.
Im convinced that most leaders understand that things need to happen in their business, they simply dont know how to make them happen. Most have tried new programs in the past and have had less than satisfactory results, so they justify their inaction by convincing themselves that it wont work anyway.
Kind of a self-fulfilling prophesy in the repeat mode.
Well heres a news flash, one time programs, seminars, motivational talks, short term exposure to new things have virtually no chance of producing lasting results. Strategy execution, sustained improvement programs all require a repeatable methodology, and commitment from the top down.
Sorry to be the one to break this to you bet dictating strategy or product quality from the CEOs office isnt going to get it for you, you need to be involved.
If you dont know how to make it happen hire a coach that specializes in strategy execution. It is absolutely a learned process and it doesnt happen on its own.
So what will you do differently in 2011? Will you commit to learning the process to sustained business excellence, or will it be more of the same?
by: Martin Harshberger, President, Measurable Results LLC
