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Jeff Colvin
Management Consultant & Founder of Link,
a Management Consulting Group
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What
is the biggest challenge facing you or your business today? Is it
a clear strategic vision, globalization, human resource utilization,
managing customer requirements, or your supply chain? You can answer
these questions for the enterprise or the individual.
The first order of survival and evolution is to identify your or
your company's weaknesses. Then you must define a strategy to address
and overcome them. The business answer is not as simple as "we
aren't generating enough sales" or "our cost are too high".
And your personal response of "it's outside of my control"
or "I don't have the authority" are likely to be symptoms
of some deeply rooted causes that are preventing your business or
you from growing.
Look around you and start asking the questions; why was this person
laid off? Why is Montgomery Wards out of business? Why is Australopithecus
extinct? You can bet that Governor Gray Davis never thought he would
be voted out of his current job. We'll see!
The answers may not surprise you, but will often clearly point
to the fact that you are the biggest challenge. Yes, you! Your paradigms,
your habits, your routines, your fears, and your unknowns may make
you the biggest barrier to your and your business' success.
Today companies are outsourcing many of the key processes in their
business. They have taken the time and effort to determine and define
their core competencies. They have decided to build on their strengths
and cover their weaknesses by letting some other company handle
them.
The parallel should be applied to you and your own personal business
activities. Take an inventory of your core strengths and determine
which ones you should really capitalize on. Validate these with
trusted co-workers. Then identify your weaknesses and find some
others in your organization who can compensate for you with their
strengths.
The California Recall election is just a week away and should be
a warning for us all. We can always be replaced and are under this
threat as an individual and a business.
So get out and vote. And realize that every day is your election
day. You can choose to just let things happen to you and hope for
the best, or you can take control and direct your efforts to capitalize
on your core competencies and meet every challenge as it comes around
the corner. Vote yourself in instead of out!
Outsource Your Weaknesses
Inventory Your Competencies
- Define your specific talents
- Identify your weaknesses
- Determine what you like doing
Validate Your Perceptions
- Get feedback from trusted co-workers
- Evaluate past successes/failures
- Openly discuss your challenges
Plan to Outsource
- Find others that can compensate for your weaknesses
- Delegate or assign specific tasks to those with core strengths
other than your own
- Be realistic for yourself and others
Vote For Yourself
- Capitalize on things you are good at and like doing
- Hone your strengths for upcoming challenges
Jeff Colvin (Jcolvin@linkllc.com)
founded Link, a management
consulting group in 1997 whose mission is dedicated to the Systems,
Structures, and Behaviors that make people and companies successful.
Link's bottom line focus on process improvement is achieved through
the facilitation and training of cross-functional teams to address
key strategic goals. Learn more about Jeff
Colvin & Link...
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