Talking encourages us to come together.
Understanding brings us closer.
Alignment gives us purpose.
“We speak not only to tell other people what we think, but to tell ourselves what we think. Speech is a part of thought.” – Oliver Sacks
“Where there is shouting, there is no true knowledge.” – Leonardo da Vinci
“A lot of problems in the world would be solved if we talked to each other instead of about each other.” – Nickey Gumbel
Is it still a bento box if it doesn’t come in a box?
It kinda’ depends on expectations.
Is the customer wanting the picture on the menu?
Compartmented and separated.
Or does the customer want food and flavour?
With potentially more on offer because the plate has no boundaries.
What does your customer or client want?
Are you able to think outside the box?
Or are there definite edges you must not exceed?
You should not assume it’s one when it’s really the other.
Clarify expectations.
“The first step in exceeding your customer’s expectations is to know those expectations.” ― Roy H. Williams
“Happiness is there when expectations meet reality.” ― Debasish Mridha
P.S. Inspiration prompted by HorrieM’s lunch today.
Who have you got in your corner?
Who is there to support you?
To challenge you.
To pick you up.
Who keeps you grounded?
Lifts you up?
Who has your back?
Okay. Good.
Now whose corner are you in?
“To succeed in business, you need somebody in your corner who cares enough to challenge you and is courageous enough to tell you the truth, especially when the pressure is on.” – George Foreman
“Everyone needs that support-even if at first you don’t think you do. Look around. See who’s on your side and in your corner. You don’t have to go it alone.” – Louis Zamperini
To improve a process, we need to understand the process.
There are many processes throughout a business.
Processes that are happening every day.
Some you know about.
Most you don’t.
There are formal processes.
Some processes could even be written down.
There are informal processes.
There are the processes in John or Jackie’s head.
The lack of understanding of these processes is usually revealed when John or Jackie leave the business.
Or when they simply take a well-deserved holiday.
There are “magic happens here” processes.
There are processes around the process.
Because the designed and implemented process didn’t quite work.
There’s the transitioning between two processes, but still doing both.
Or the never do it quite the same way process.
Whatever your process, it starts with understanding.
It’s hard to improve any process if you don’t know what it is.
“If you can’t describe what you are doing as a process, you don’t know what you’re doing.” — W. Edwards Deming.
“If a business is to be considered a continuous process, instead of a series of disjointed stop-and-go events, then the economic universe in which a business operates – and all the major events within it – must have rhyme, rhythm, or reason.” — Peter F. Drucker