Thriving This Year and Next: Underused Best Practices System of Provoking Questions Revealed
Be nimble, flexible, and remember the goal is large gain with limited risk, not lots of risk for limited gain. All of you will be juggling more balls in the air all the time.
Which is why sticking out your balance sheet is no more comfortable than a visit to your doctor, but it is every bit as important. Even if it is bad news (maybe especially) you need to know. Business information is the hidden pathway you travel toward your goals. Would you like a spotlight?
The key is to use this checklist in a practical cost efficient manner. After all, when you really think about it, most businesses risk and gains relate to 4 things: selling; infrastructure of people, plant, systems and processes; money and capital; and running more efficiently and effectively.
The results of the quiz will be helpful on two levels. One, and most important, it will reveal the fiscal fitness of your company. Two, it will serve as a guide to help you evaluate risks you take relative to potential gain. You have space below the questions and comments for you to write answers to the questions why and why not, so you can refer to them time and time again. So, step on the scales, dear reader and tell yourself truthfully, How fiscally fit is your company, in relation to this question?
1. Does your management team think creatively? Are they out-of-the box thinkers?
Do you truthfully answer this Yes or No?
Why?
Why Not
2. God forbid, but if you got hit by a bus tomorrow, do you have a trusted lieutenant who can keep your company on track?
Do you truthfully answer this Yes or No?
Why?
Why Not
3. Do your vendors see you as a preferred customer, showing how well they value your relationship and business?
Do you truthfully answer this Yes or No?
Why?
Why Not
4. Does your management team feel they receive information about your company and operations in an understandable and timely format to run their departments?
Do you truthfully answer this Yes or No?
Why?
Why Not
5. Is your company prepared for the green economy?
Do you truthfully answer this Yes or No?
Why?
Why Not
6. Are you aware of at least one improvement or a change in your company that would significantly enhance the performance of your company?
Do you truthfully answer this Yes or No?
Why?
Why Not
7. How can the notes you just made help in your life, job and business? What one issue from your thoughts you noted when truthfully answering this question, will you start improving, TODAY?
See the scoring procedures to the right and tally your score. Unless you got a perfect score, one thing is for sure: you now know there are gaps in your ability to manage your company. Now that you know where you stand, you need to go back and reflect on your no answers to get a better understanding of the areas where you need to improve. These represent the gaps we seek to identify, diagnose, and treat.
Scoring Procedure:
Give yourself 16 points for each yes. A no answer gets a 0 point. The scorecard shows where you stand.
Score Comments
90-100 Excellent. You really sleep well at night
80-89 Above average
70-79 Average
60-69 Poor, need to improve
0-59 Situation CRITICAL, bring in outside help
If you do not think some level of Bernie Madoff misplaced trust exists in your business, you are either kidding yourself, or you are one of the select few employers or employees. Too many people are taking far greater risks than they may be aware of. This quiz alerts leaders to hidden risks that may be lurking inside their projects, even companies.
How can the notes you just made help in your life, job and business? What one issue from your thoughts you noted when truthfully answering this question, will you start improving, TODAY?
Because risks are what really go wrong when you are not looking: stupid things happen like bounced checks, losing your best customers or best people when you are blindsided. You need to create peripheral vision in your business so you are not blindsided.
You need a perspective of life under the microscope and to have lived to tell the tale. Insights give a common sense approach to what people make complex, as companies grow.
About the author
Bottom line? Risks are what really go wrong when you are not looking: stupid things happen when you are blindsided. I help you create peripheral vision in your business, so you are not blindsided. For free Fiscal Test, visit http://www.fiscaldoctor.com/ From Gary W Patterson Copyright 2010Tags: Budget, Business performance, Change Management, consultant, enterprise, ERM, ORM, speaker, strategy