Our Programs of Coaching, Consulting, and Advising are underpinned by a model of:
Understand, Organize, Act!
1 – UNDERSTAND the current situation, or problem.
2 – ORGANIZE and plan strategically.
3 – ACTION – Execute and manage the plans.
Stop! Before taking Action – Organize and Plan.
Before planning and organizing – Ensure you have established sufficient understanding of the situation.
Start with understanding the current state of your business as well as the internal and external environment under which you are working.
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We all want to see results quickly, but when it comes to starting, growing or improving your business, it generally pays to act cautiously.
The degree of caution depends on several factors including risk tolerance, whether or not you are in a fast moving startup sector, your regulatory environment etc. but ALWAYS, have a strategy, always work toward a plan of action that is based on understanding the situation, and organizing before acting.
Metaphorically, if you don’t know where you are, what you have, and where you are going, don’t move! Look around, take stock of the situation, and plan your next steps appropriately.
Any changes or unplanned actions implemented in a business can, and often do, result in unintended consequences. It’s common that these consequences aren’t immediately visible or obvious. This leaves everyone feeling good that they’ve taken action, solved a problem, completed a project, launched a new product, or any number of organizational changes intended to improve or grow.
But, when Action precedes adequate Understanding and Organizing, the results can be a solution that cannot be sustained, or in the worst case, is a catastrophic failure, causing bigger problems.
Businesses that prioritize Action over Preparation (Tactics over Strategy) in their problem solving efforts find themselves in a continuous activity loop, solving one problem only to create new problems.
Continuous activity is NOT Continuous Improvement.
Before acting on any improvement activity, ensure you have a complete understanding of the situation or problem being addressed. This includes working as a team and listening to and addressing all relevant voices. Realize that when the team believes they have clarity of the problem, they probably don’t!
From this tenuous understanding, move to organizing and planning your actions. Accept at this stage that planning further informs your understanding.
Iterate and move to Action and allow plans evolve to a point where work is staged with clear Goals, Roles, and Processes – Also see the GRPI Model.
At Making Business Better [MBB] we are Masters of Methods that help businesses and individuals seek excellence. Contact us now – What does better mean for you?