Surface Ripples

Can You See The “Big Picture”?

Steven Covey, author of “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”, describes his second habit as “Begin With The End In Mind”. It has as much application to how you conduct yourself and your business.

I’m as guilty as anyone else (more, probably) of not beginning with the end in mind. How many toes I have trodden on in my lifetime I’ll never know (well, some of them I do…), but I see so many instances of people not keeping the end in mind that I felt it was time to talk about it.

I’m sure everyone reading this will be able to think of instances where either they themselves were - or accused someone else of being - guilty of not “seeing the big picture”. We all lead pressurised lives, with expectations of performance in so many areas (profitability, sales, efficiency, family, community to name a few). Everyone and everything demands our attention NOW. Caught up in the moment, we focus on what needs to be done NOW.

We all risk falling into the trap of forgetting what we’re really “in it” for. One way to check this is to look at the “Mission Statement” (MS) of companies with whom you deal (or indeed, of your own company). Is it short, sharp and punchy? Is it memorable? I’ve seen MSs which cover several lines – how can you remember that? More to the point, if you can’t remember it, how can you “live it”?

Do you have your own MS and long-term goals? Is your behaviour consistent with these? Even as I write this, I find I’m asking myself the same question…

Covey suggests that you visualise your funeral and what you want people to say about you during the eulogy as a way of clarifying what your “end” is.

In business, this means deciding how you want your business or organisation to be perceived. Some (a lucky few) have the luxury of not having to care how they are perceived – people have to use their service (start your list of these organisations here…). These won’t all last…

What is your “end” and what are you doing to plan for it?

I was born overseas and have spent more than half my life working in different world markets from the most developed to “emerging” economies. With more than 20 years in the world financial services industry running different service, operations and lending businesses, I started my own Performance Management Consultancy and work with individuals, small businesses, charities, quoted companies and academic institutions across the world. An international speaker, trainer, author and fund-raiser, I can be contacted by email. My website provides an excellent picture of my rich and varied portfolio of services.

Labels: Career, Crisis Management, Customer Care, Strategy

posted by William Martin @ 22:38