The Hindu Business Line : Create your own performance dashboard

A COMPANY that stands out from the pack works with a sense of urgency, everyday. "They always do the most important things first — they know how to prioritise."

That's from the blurb of The Six Fundamentals of Success by Stuart R. Levine, published by Doubleday (www.currencybooks.com).

Here are the rules: Make sure you add value; communicate up and down, inside and out; know how to deliver results; conduct yourself and your business with integrity; invest in relationships; and gain perspective.

And the contents page show that each of these has so many components. For instance, the one on `business with integrity' lists eight tips, including — `treat others with respect', `set a good example', and `the world doesn't owe you a living.'

The intro reminds those at the top, "Business environment is so uncertain that no one can afford to miss a step." You may react that so many forces are not in our control, but Levine responds:

"But being the best we can at our job is not. We have total control over that." Behind the six rules are a hundred that the author has gathered `over thirty years in business' and `living these rules will require discipline.'

Ah, that's grandma advice, you could fret, yet you would appreciate that even in the physical sphere, there is what is called muscle memory — where by doing something over and over again, "your muscles start to remember". So? "Set up a daily workout of fundamentals."

What's the result? "Drilling with the fundamentals will make them second nature so you can perform at your best, even when under pressure and surrounded by distractions."

Customer is king, and so on, is what we have heard, but the book appeals: "See your customer as a person".

That's one tip to reap much reward from, because what one may find missing in many a business is the consistent refusal to consider what the customer wants from the product or service.

"Work fast, work hard, and do as much as you can do well." That looks like slave-driving, one might complain, but read this:

"Don't crank out work just to cross it off your list. Work hard to produce a high standard of quality. Let your sense of urgency come from a genuine passion for delivering something of value to your customer, your team, or your work."

So, now you know why it is a good habit to pick the phone on the first ring. "Urgency should be paired with pride in getting it right," so don't drop the handset. With this tip, "You'll finish the day feeling you've accomplished a lot."

To keep on track, "Create your own performance dashboard." That would be the snapshot of what you need to monitor. So, "Goals should always be timed and measurable — you either meet them or you don't within the time you defined."

What if you are falling behind? "Step on the gas or re-evaluate the route you're taking." Also, more importantly, "Know what's on your boss's dashboard."

You have the to-do list and it keeps growing like a long tail, so you lose track. "Take your `To Do' list and rate each item. Keep it simple: use an I for important things and a T for time-sensitive things (use both if an item is important and time-sensitive)."

Now, this is not vouching, so don't put Is and Ts for all the entries. "Delegate everything you can that is not `important'." Also, remember the secret of working not only hard but also smart: Make the right choices on where to focus energy and time at any given moment.

Too important to ignore, so if you're adding `Levine' to your `to do' list, don't forget to mark it with I+T.

ManageMentor@hotmail.com

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication

Stories in this Section
Profit hopes behind ad-spend

A primer on school fees

On a search for `shine' in the villages

Create your own performance dashboard

Leaders must look to see if there are followers