Another fundamental key for John Chen’s method for corporate turn around is “Know Thyself”. This key has similarities to a requirement for productivity which I wrote about in a previous post, ‘Know Your Performance’. Both of these requirements have the basis of establishing a baseline and determining your or your organisation’s capabilities.
As much as they are very similar, their intended uses and subsequent goals are different (on the surface). John Chen’s use for ‘knowing yourself’is for exploring and executing new strategies for new revenue generation, while the ‘know your performance’ goal is for improving productivity of the established operations. Even though the goals are different, their approaches are the same. When it comes to reaching either of these two goals it is important to know your own capabilities, your colleagues, as well as that of the company. Think of yours and everyone else’s capabilities as additional available data that can or should be included when devising actions, determining feasibilities, or overcoming obstacles. Keep in mind, it is one thing to know what are your available resources. It is another thing to know how to effectively use them. This now brings me to the next point.
We all have encountered problems we have never seen before. When that happens there is an understandable tendency to believe that one is not capable to deal with such problems. This is due in part to a lack of experience. The other reason is a lack of confidence. Experience can be gained by attempts and actions. Confidence, however, can be gained when a feasible plan is present and / or capabilities are known. When you know yourself, your colleagues, and the capabilities of the company confidence levels increases. That feeling of uncertainty then diminishes.
When ever I encounter such a problem or requirement the first thing I do, after reviewing the criteria or determining the root causes, is to ask myself the question; what is needed to satisfy the requirements of the criteria or solve the root causes? I then look at my own capabilities and skill sets to see if I can accomplish the task. If my capabilities are inadequate then I would do a quick mental search of who does have the required capabilities. Once it is established who has the required capabilities then a plan can be created. With access to the known capabilities and a plan in place, everyone’s confidence levels increase.
When you are tasked with doing something completely new or different and you have established the capable resources at your disposal, devise a plan that directly addresses the requirements. It doesn’t need to be perfect, just effective. With that mindset, known information, and identified resources, moving forward on which ever path becomes a less daunting endeavour.
Until the next time!
Productivity Aspects 