In a typical four-hour American football game, each team has the ball in play about seven to eight minutes—that’s a grand total of fifteen minutes! The rest of the time, we are listening to commentators, looking at replays, watching commercials—just waiting around for the next play to begin.
If you want to create a better organization and make more money, you can do it by paying close attention when the “ball is in play,” when things matter most, where money is made or lost. Some of those business activities might include:
- Finding and pursuing sales leads
- Personal contact with prospects or customers
- Producing or delivering products and services
- Attending business-improvement meetings
- Interviewing and evaluating job candidates
- Training people to become more effective
- Evaluating job performance
- Reviewing Key Performance Indicators (KPI) and financial statements
I’m sure that you could list others, and some unique to your organization.
Focus On the Vital Few
Think of three business activities that have the most influence on your company’s success. Are those systems or processes giving you maximum results?
Systems are the essential building blocks of your business operation. Some of them are most important to your success; they are the vital few activities that drive growth and profitability. Most of these critical systems or processes touch customers either directly or indirectly.
Find ways to perform at your peak when the ball is in play and the game is on the line! Don’t be surprised if simple ideas and improvements put significantly more points on the scoreboard!
