Stop Stalling And Make Breakthroughs Instead By Banishing Habits That Slow Down Improvements
Topics: stalls, habits, speed, improvement, breakthrough, process, delay, progress
A businessman pondered how to grow his profits. He traveled the world looking for new products and lower cost suppliers. He ran every kind of sales promotion he could. But profits just got lower and lower every year. In fact, the harder he tried to improve the worse matters got.
A friend visited one day and looked at what the businessman had been doing: He was continually adding new items that offered little profit and attracted few sales. In the meantime, he was neglecting to keep in stock his highest profit items that were in great demand.
The friend noted that profits would expand by ten times if the business man got rid of 95 percent of his items and kept the rest of the high profit offerings in stock at all times. With the time that he saved, the businessman could also take a vacation every month.
Are you like that businessman in pursuing habits that are hurting your profits and personal life?
Stalls are bad habits that delay progress in accomplishing 20 times as much by using the breakthrough solution process. Stalls are harmful because they drain time and attention away from more productive activities and also set up barriers to improvements. In this article, you’ll ask seven questions that will help you identify and overcome your stalls.
You will be more successful in this activity if you prepare yourself. If you are not familiar with all of the current steps involved in the performance area or activity you want to improve, be sure to take the time to observe and participate in that performance area so your thinking is influenced by the facts rather than by opinions or out-of-date information. If possible, have those who work in the area share their observations independently of your own thinking. In addition, check your answers with those who are involved in the performance area.
1. What are the causes of avoidable delays?
A good way to begin is to assume that you are personally going to do all of the steps involved in the performance area or activity you want to improve. Then, find the resources, knowledge, skill and information to do that work in the fastest, most effective way.
After you have identified how you would do the activity yourself with the right resources, see what current delays can be eliminated. Then, determine what would have to change in order to eliminate those delays.
Here’s an example. Let’s look at the sales process of finding and attracting a new customer. Many organizations provide leads to help sales people focus their initial contacts.
In some organizations, these leads are only provided every month or so. In between, the sales people can follow up on old leads . . . but have no new ones to focus on.
Changing the lead generation process to provide leads more often would allow salespeople the ability to make new contacts daily. In addition, if the leads are received more often, the leads are probably based on more recent expressions of interest by potential customers. Sales results are bound to improve in such a circumstance.
If the lead generation source is already adding leads daily, all that has to change is to transmit those leads daily to your company rather than less frequently. In many cases, the cost of doing so will be lower because a report may be eliminated in the process change.
2. Why haven’t the avoidable delays been eliminated in the past?
You need to know the historical reason for the delays continuing because otherwise you won’t know how to address the change process.
In some cases, the source of a delay may relate to some existing process that has not been changed recently. In those instances, the delay may simply be a function of no one having looked lately at how to make faster progress.
In other cases, your computer systems may be the source of the delay, and no one wants to put in the time and effort to change them except for a very good reason. Elsewhere, you may find that there are differences of opinion about what should be done, and no one wants to take on the political challenges of advocating and leading a change.
In some other circumstances, you may find that the delay is actually a defense mechanism that some people use to diffuse pressure for higher performance. Be sure to keep looking until you find some unconscious habits that are reinforcing the continued delays.
3. How will customers, employees, suppliers, distributors, partners, shareholders, lenders and the communities you serve be affected by eliminating the delays?
You will find that solutions which obviously benefit each stakeholder will be those that will be easiest to implement. If eliminating delays is harmful to some of these stockholder groups while being positive for others, rethink the subject to consider how the delays could be eliminated so that everyone would benefit.
In some cases, that may mean providing some of the economic benefit of the change to those who will be somewhat harmed by it to more than offset any harm.
4. Are there ways of eliminating delays that help with more than one kind of delay?
Most organizations have a limited capacity for change that is always being exceeded. In such circumstances, people may just spin their wheels and feel frustrated.
If you can find ways to eliminate the delays that require fewer or easier changes, you will be more likely to succeed in this and other important initiatives that the organization is pursuing.
5. What could go wrong when you eliminate delays?
Productivity often falls when an organization puts in a productivity improving change. A common reason for such a perverse result is that not enough preparation has been done so that everyone knows what he or she needs to do.
With time, appropriate learning usually develops and results improve. But with careful thinking in advance about the downside risk, you can often eliminate these painful, temporary setbacks that sap enthusiasm for the new direction.
6. What are the least demanding ways to avoid the delays?
As you know from applying the breakthrough solution process, great progress occurs each time you repeat the eight step process. If you pursue these changes in less demanding ways, you will finish putting this breakthrough solution into practice sooner so that you can begin repeating the process faster as well.
7. What other benefits will you gain from making these changes?
When you aim to make a breakthrough solution, you will often create improvements in other activities and areas that you were not considering. As you begin to focus on creating a breakthrough solution, the perspectives you gain from this question will help point you in the most effective direction.
Donald Mitchell is coauthor of six books including The 2,000 Percent Squared Solution, The 2,000 Percent Solution, and The 2,000 Percent Solution Workbook. Read about creating breakthroughs through 2,000 percent solutions by registering for free at
Previous Articles Highlighter:
The Tax Gifts Keep On Coming (1)
But dividends aren't. Just like capital gains, qualified dividends are taxed at a maximum rate of 15%. If you are in the 10% or 15% overall income tax bracket then your dividend tax rate is also only 5%!
The 6 Costly Misconceptions About Investing In Apartment Buildings (2)
With lending guidelines tightening on residential properties and personal income increasing for Americans, rents are expected to climb in growing markets. This will make apartment buildings an even more attractive investment over the next 3 years.
The Portuguese Language - A Languages Of The World Primer (3)
Related languages Portuguese is most closely related to the other west-Iberian languages, Galician, spoken to the North of Portugal in the Spanish region of Galicia, and Fala, spoken by around 10,000 people in pockets of Extremadura (Spain) near the Portuguese border.
A Day Of Fun With Soccer (4)
Most players think that their teammates are brilliant when they use their heads to hit the ball because it is a hard shot to make. Students will also be taught that it is the goalie who gets to use their hands during the game.
Modern Hotel Booking Concepts (5)
3. Not just online services. Today's online hotel booking services are not just online. They employ teams of people who follow up with the hotels from across the world, and actually solicit them to join their ranks.
How Does Role Reversal Hurt The Hispanic Family? (6)
This is an example of role reversal that often occurs in families who are not fluent in English when they immigrate to the U.S. It impacts many immigrant families.
Six Sigma Training Basics (7)
In fact, cross training or sharing knowledge across various platforms is the key to the success in implementation. Problem Unraveling Tools 6 Sigma essentially uses statistical devices as their problem solving tools and Six Sigma training teaches everyone involved in it to analyze and then solve a problem.
Videos Keep Viewers Updated On World Events (8)
These video tapes keep viewers updated on world events and tragedies. The images on these videos might be hard to believe at times, but they represent what is truly happening in the world and give lawmakers and Congressmen a living record of things that need to be changed or improved upon in the world.
Spring And Summer 2008 Jewelry Forecast (9)
When it comes to diamonds, one affordable alternative may be champagne or chocolate cubic zirconia, which is recognized as the finest diamond simulant in the world. This popular manmade stone is created to mimic a flawless diamond, which would be a significant investment in the world of jewelry.
Stock Market Basics - 3 Rules You Should Know But Never Heard Before (10)
Else, their customers will change to other fund in other companies. Because of that, they can't afford not to invest the available cash in stock market even although there is no stock worth investing.
Newer Articles Highlighter:
The New F1 Season, A Look Forward (1)
Mclaren will go into the season with two rookies who both debuted in 2007; both are exciting drivers whose fearless approach to racing will ensure excitement for British and Finnish fans alike.
Home Alone With Your Own Home Business (2)
You've made the move to run your own home business. It's all up to you now to make sure your enterprise is a success. Any support you had in your previous work life, from management, co-workers, and human resources departments are gone.
Why Are Adds Important To Have On Your Blog (3)
The more popular that a web becomes and the more people that actually visit the site, then the more likely that other company will want to use your site to advertise their own products or services.
Determination, The Secret Of Success (4)
This is why the world is not full of successful businessmen; those who make millions and buy islands in the Caribbean are an exception to the general rule. Even those now living in luxury have struggled at times in their meteoric rise.
The How To On Taking A Better Photograph (5)
One thing that photo restoration and 35 mm slide scanning services notice is that most people stand too far away from their subject, and since most photos are taken with digital cameras nowadays, this problem is becoming more prevalent.
Want To Improve Your Golfing Skills? You Dare Not Miss This... (6)
Stretch at least three times a week, paying particular attention to your back, shoulders, and arms. Be sure to warm-up for 10-15 minutes before play. 4. Physical strength is one of the important factors for a golfer.
Currency Trading Online - 4 Advantages Why Currency Trading Online Is The Way To Go! (7)
This can easily be done by the use of net. Its very easy to browse the information on net about the list of websites which are in trading of currency.
Choosing Tableware For Your Gift List (8)
but often the more essential everyday pieces are overlooked. It is important therefore to collect a tableware range which can readily be added to after the Wedding. It's best to check what 'after service' the tableware company offers - is there a registration system where you can be kept informed of changes and additions to your chosen table range and eventually be informed should it be discontinued?
Cleaning Your Grill Is Easy (9)
All you need to do is buy the necessary materials needed for cleaning but if most of these are in your house, then, there is no need to go out.
Consumer Electronics Make Learning Fun And Easy (10)
The simplicity of use allows children to learn that they can prepare any food they want and it will take them less time. Some consumer electronics will allow children to learn foreign languages.