 |
 |
|
||||||||
 |
 |
|
Vision and Thinking Systems Are you and your team really ready to change the way you have been doing business? Why you should read this section · Vision & Thinking Systems contains a tool to determine if you are suffering from Burnout and what to do about it if you are. · After you read this section you will understand how denial can negatively impact a business transformation. · You will learn what the "Moment of Truth" is and why it is important to your 100 Day Business Transformation.
"Insanity is doing what you've always done and not expecting to get what you've always got." (Albert Einstein)
This phase of the 100 Day Business Transformation Process is all about you!! · Are you really ready to change or, as Einstein says in the quote above, do you think this time it will be different and you will get a superior outcome from doing business the "same old way"? · Are you thinking clearly enough to make the tough and effective decisions for a successful transformation? · Are you objective enough to pull this off? · Do you have the energy for a turnaround? · Does your family have the energy to support you in this project?
I have been working with distressed businesses for over 15 years. I consistently have found that owners and senior leadership teams lack objectivity in assessing the true state of the business situation. You and your team have been living with many business problems and fighting fires for so long that it is very easy to lose your objectivity. What you need now is to view the situation with fresh eyes or with the "eyes of a beginner"…looking at your business problems as someone new to the situation would look at them. Because only then will you see new solutions. But how do you look at the situation with fresh eyes? Most likely, fatigue has overtaken you and the team and fresh solutions are not flowing very freely. To regain your objectivity, you must first determine the following: Are you suffering from burnout? Because if you are in a state of burnout, your thinking will be "muddled" and the quality of your decisions will be poor! Burnout Burnout is a debilitating psychological condition of mental and/or physical exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress resulting in: · Depleted energy and emotional exhaustion · Lowered resistance to illness · Increased depersonalization in interpersonal relationships · Increased dissatisfaction and pessimism · Increased absenteeism and work inefficiency Guess What? Since you are in a very stressful business situation where you are contemplating doing a turnaround, most likely you are also approaching Burnout…or have arrived! The problem with being in this condition (in addition to all of the points above) is the fact that you will make substandard decisions. And you can't afford to be weak in this area…not now. Here is what I would recommend. First go to this website on Burnout. It is one of the best that I have found. There you can take a test called "Checking Yourself for Burnout". It will just take a few minutes but will give you insight into the possible condition of Burnout. In addition, there are a number of good articles to assist with you in treating Burnout. Finally, if you are "off the scale" in terms of this condition, please get professional counseling assistance. If you are suffering from Burnout and it goes untreated, you will put yourself and your business at great levels of additional risk! Checking for and treating burnout then is the first step in regaining your objectivity. Next, you need to check for denial. Denial Did you know that most businesses fail not because they can't solve their problems but because they won't see their problems? It may surprise you, but even the most seasoned business owners prefer blinders to reality when their businesses begin to slide. Nor will it be easy to convince you to act even when the signals clearly point to future disaster. Like most owners or senior leaders you won't, on your own initiative, accept the facts of your situation for what they are. A troubled company first needs a crisis, and until that crisis comes, they tolerate trouble. What may cause you to fight reality? Ego, Optimism, and as we have already mentioned, you simply may be too close to the problem. The ability to detect and act quickly to solve problems is the essence of good turnaround management. Moment of Truth The final check in terms of Vision and Thinking Systems is something called the "moment of truth". This is the point in time where you say…"enough is enough" and "I am sick and tired of living my life this way". When you really have reached this point, then you are ready for the 100 Day business Transformation because you truly are ready to change old business practices. So the questions on the table are these: Has your business come to its moment of truth? Are you in such a financial crisis that you can't stall anymore? Can you put ego and denial behind you, face the facts and get going with this business transformation? Have you addressed any burnout issues? If you can answer "yes" to the above questions, then you are ready to launch the 100 Day Business Transformation Process. This website will take you step-by-step through that process.
|
|
|
Copyright 2005 Christian Counsel for Companies |