Finbarr Sheehy - Your Improvement is our Business
Business Improvement Coaching
Whether you are self-employed, a small business owner, a corporate executive or a leader of a non-profit, achieving the aims and objectives set out in your business plan - or defining them there in the first place - isn't easy. Successful organizations and leaders will need to adapt more quickly and draw on new knowledge networks, adopting and integrating innovative ideas and business models.
Business leaders will need more than good technical skills and superior knowledge, they will need to be able to motivate others, to constantly learn from their environment and above all, be aware of their own role in relation to the system. Leaders will need to learn how to manage ambiguity and change and motivate a more diverse and fragmented workforce if they are to succeed in tomorrow's world. Yesterday's solutions will not answer tomorrow's questions. Business coaching is about peak performance in the workplace, getting your company operating at its optimal level by investing in the key area that really can make the difference, for you and your people.
The Power of Measurement
Everyone has heard the phrase "What gets measured gets done". In the world of Business Improvement, I would say "what gets measured gets better". In my experience, most organisation achieve at least 10% improvement by just starting to measure their performance. Some organisations avoid measuring their performancebecause they are afraid of what it will tell them. But you cannot move forward unless you know where you are now.
There are many important benefits of performance measurement:
* To identify whether we are meeting customer requirements: How do we know that we are providing the services/products that our customers require?
* To help us understand our processes: To confirm what we know or reveal what we don't know: Do we know where the problems are?
* To ensure decisions are based on fact, not on emotion: Are our decisions based upon well-documented facts and figures or on intuition and gut feelings?
* To show where improvement needs to be made: Where can we do better? How can we improve?
* To show if improvements actually happened: Do we have a clear picture?
* To reveal problems that bias, emotion, and longevity cover up: If we have been doing our job for a long time without measurements, we might assume incorrectly that things are going well. (They may or may not be, but, without measurements, there is no way to tell.)
* To identify whether suppliers are meeting our requirements: Do our suppliers know if our requirements are being met?
Fix the Process, Not the Blame
Be aware of the possibility that measures will occasionally reveal performance that is below desired levels. When this happens, don't shoot the measurer, and don't look for replacement measures that could show more favoruable results. Instead, take actions to find and fix processes that improve performance. It is improvement---progress toward objectives---that demonstrates results and inspires confidence.
If you want to understand how simple measurement can make a difference to your business contact us and we will show you how.
21 Suggestions for Success
I came across these suggestions for success recently. I do not know the original author. If I did I would acknowledge them. I hope you find them useful. I certaintly can relate to them.
1. Marry the right person. This one decision will determine 90% of your happiness or misery.
2. Work at something you enjoy and that's worthy of your time and talent.
3. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.
4. Become the most positive and enthusiastic person you know.
5. Be forgiving of yourself and others.
6. Be generous.
7. Have a grateful heart.
8. Persistence, persistence, persistence.
9. Discipline yourself to save money on even the most modest salary.
10. Treat everyone you meet like you want to be treated.
11. Commit yourself to constant improvement.
12. Commit yourself to quality.
13. Understand that happiness is not based on possessions, power or prestige, but on relationships with people you love and respect.
14. Be loyal.
15. Be honest.
16. Be a self-starter.
17. Be decisive even if it means you'll sometimes be wrong.Sample Image
18. Stop blaming others. Take responsibility for every area of your life.
19. Be bold and courageous. When you look back on your life, you'll regret the things you didn't do more than the ones you did.
20. Take good care of those you love.
21. Don't do anything that wouldn't make your Mom proud.
Develop the Competencies for your organisation to improve
As we get older (and more educated!) we loose the ability to become more creative. We conform to norms of behaviour based on where we work and how we have been educated. A key competency for the future (and today!) is the ability to solve problems creatively. Sometimes we need to develop breakthroughs rather than gradual improvements. Understanding the concepts of Lean Thinking are essential to eliminating waste in any organisation. Value Stream Mapping provides the mechanism to map your key processes and identify improvements. Six Sigma provides an understanding of how to reduce Variability in any process. Also understanding how to develop a vision, mission, and governance for your organisation provides the direction for you and your employees. Presentation Skills , Communication Skills help to communicate those plans and performances. Interviewing Skills , Technical Report Writing , and Effective Meetings all support the development of the right culture for the future success of any organisation.
