What are you doing that for?

Business processes; the way you do things can be a result of many years of trial and error, of doing things that way "because that's the way things are done round here". But they can also be a result of deliberate thought and working out the best way(s) of doing things. But usually, the systems and processes we follow are as a result of a few things:

* On the job learning - especially if you are an employee
* Leadership - either as a leader yourself, or following your "leader" - and the vision that comes from great leadership.
* Management style. Some people need to be micro managed and others do not. Do you have the same style of management for each of your employees? Do your managers have the same style of management for everyone? As a good "teacher" will know - there are four learning styles, because not everyone can or does learn the same way. And so it is with management.
* Your personal working style

Each of these areas impacts ON your business.

* The way you answer calls and respond to emails
* The way you speak to / treat your customers
* Whether you work the process or it works you
* The way you handle change.

When was the last time you looked at your business processes and practices? When was the last time you sat down and asked yourself - if this was a new business how would I set it up? How would you do it differently next time?

There are ways to shorten the process of course. Mentors, coaches, peer groups and the people who have been there and done that. You can emulate other people's styles and working processes. No, not by stealing, emulation. Reverse-engineering something to see "how" they put something together. They may have an elegant solution to your particular stumbling block. Asking what worked and what didn't and how would they do it better.

Every day is a chance to look at what you do and ask:

* Are the systems and processes I have in place working for or against what I want to achieve?
* How can I do this better.

As kids we know we have to try many different ways of doing something before we discover the process that works for us. And as young kids it is usually instinctive. Do we stop learning how to walk when we land on our rumps the first time or the hundred and first time? Of course not because we practice and practice and practice.

Today I am going to give you some homework.

* If you own your own business, I would like you to look at it as if it were a new entity. If you were given a clean slate, how would you do things differently?
* If you are an employee of someone else's business I would like you to look at your bit. What do you do? How do you do it? How can you do it differently? How can you improve your own processes? Make the suggestions to management and explain why ... if necessary, just tell them Elle said so, and I can be contacted at elle@motivateme.info if they need clarification. Or ask them to give me a call and I'll come in and see them.
* If you are a student - then your homework is different of course. Do you always get good marks for the assignments you do? Or are you better at a particular subject than another? Hint, this is usually because you like the teacher and/or the subject. So - take one of your old assignments and look at it again. How can you do "it" differently next time? Now it has been marked, where did you go wrong? How can you incorporate the teachers ideas into your next piece?

With many thoughts
Elle

To add your comments or joinin the discussion-

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An additional thought for today: Make today a Shay day
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This little story was sent to me by Graham, one of your fellow readers of the daily dose. He explained, that we can all send round jokes and funnies, but this little story needs to be read by as many people as possible, and if you carry on reading, you will know why:

At a fund-raising dinner for a school that serves children with learning disabilities, the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its
dedicated staff, he offered a question:

'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does, is done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the natural order of things in my son?'

The audience was stilled by the query.

The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, who was mentally and physically disabled comes into the world, an opportunity to realize true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people treat that child.'

Then he told the following story:

Shay and I had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' I knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their team, but as a father I also understood that if my son were allowed to play, it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.

I approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth inning.'

Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a team shirt. I watched with a small tear in my eye and warmth in my heart. The boys saw my joy at my son being accepted.

In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three.

In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from ear to ear as I waved to him from the stands.

In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again..

Now, with two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be next at bat.

At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the game?

Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball.

However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay. As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball right back to the pitcher.

The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been out and that would have been the end of the game. Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out of reach of all team mates.

Everyone from the stands and both teams started yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled. Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had the ball . the smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intentions so he, too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman' s head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him circled the bases toward home.

All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay' Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third! Shay, run to third!' As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the game for his team

'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity into this world'.

Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never forgotten being the hero and making me so happy.

My note: Could you have done that? Could you make every day a "Shay day". I believe we can make that kind of difference to someone's world.