Mind the Gap: Elusive Executive Challenges
“Mind the Gap”, a phrase often heard when riding the subway in large metropolitan areas, is also a relevant phrase when exploring a major cause of stress in CEO’s, Executives and Business Owners everywhere.
The hardest hurtle in identifying gaps in your business is overcoming the first one…admitting to yourself that you have an elusive “gap” problem!
As with every recovery, you have to be brutally honest in gauging how well the infrastructure of your company is performing.
In search of a solution to this elusive challenge, you may need to pull back and ask a few key questions:
Have you exhausted all internal ideas for elevating your business? Nothing is off limits!
Are you and your team feeling a lack of engagement? Unhappy workers do NOT perform well!
Are you hard pressed to remember the last time you and your team experienced true joy in your accomplishments? This is absolutely critical!
If you answered “yes” to any of the above questions, then you may be suffering from business fatigue; often associated with insomnia, overworking, lack of time off (because, after all you are the one responsible for the livelihood of the entire business).
There is no one to pass the buck to, and you feel the weight of that responsibility….constantly.
Fatigue is often hard to peg, because it doesn’t always mean that you don’t sleep at night. It often creeps up in insidious ways like sleeping poorly, and “waking” to still feel exhausted.
Often, the brain keeps running all night even if you think you have flipped the switch and shut down.
“Mind the Gap” may be a phrase that will resonate with you as you think on the challenges you are trying to overcome in the day-to-day operations of your company.
Some of the most relevant questions when exploring the idea of identifying gaps are:
How do you identify the gaps? Especially, if you can’t see them.
Why does it feel like certain things are always falling through the cracks? Or black holes, depending…
What opportunities are you missing because of those gaps?
How do you identify critical KPI’s if the gaps are preventing you from formulating a complete strategy?
What resources are needed (and where are you gapping) to achieve your goals so that those damn holes cease to exist? Forever!
Common questions that often do not have easy answers.
The hardest hurtle, though, is the first one…realizing that elusive “gaps” may be the cause of why your business is not as profitable as it could be…no matter how hard you work or how many sacrifices you make.
And, if you are still with me…I’m guessing this does resonate.
Now, that you have acknowledged that there is a problem, you can turn an eye towards fixing it.
Shall we explore a few ideas for finding solutions?
CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING:
M - Make a commitment. Mark a starting point in your processes to explore where gaps may exist.
I - Investigate the infrastructure of your company, thoroughly, and look for “blank spots”.
N - Navigate “as if” your company was brand new to you; what do you notice is missing?
D - Dig in deep and make sure that filling those holes is the utmost priority to elevating your business.
Go through those (4) steps; really combing through your processes until you and your team have identified all the gaps you can possibly find. Implement changes to fix them…Then, pick another starting point and do it all again! Shuffle around responsibilities, encourage outlandishness, and brainstorm to make sure you are getting optimum ideation from your entire team.
If that doesn’t yield the desired results, then, and only then, bring in an outside “fresh set of eyes” to comb through it yet again.
With dedication, careful review and brutal honesty, you can create productive, efficient and cost effective change. You can find those elusive “gaps” keeping you up at night. And, then, put them to bed, for good!
Then, “mind the gap” will only be a safety measure on subways and not the missing link in your company’s profitability and success!
KONCEPT MANAGEMENT LLC has developed several techniques for identifying and rectifying common challenges in maintaining fluid, sustainable, and exciting business practices. Call today to schedule your free advisory call!
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