Last month, I wrote about how Key Indicators Force Businesses to Maintain Focus. I also mentioned the seemingly endless list of things that can cause a business to lose focus.
As many of us are returning from a long July 4th break, it seems like an appropriate time to remind everyone of the importance of staying focused. Many are in the process of closing the books for June. If you’re reporting financial results on a calendar year basis, as many do, that means you’re mid-way through your 2006 business results.
This is an ideal time to look at the first half and ask if results were good enough? How did they compare to your plan? Could your company or division have done better? Could you have personally performed better? Did you meet your goals, exceed them, or fall short?
Or, did you merely respond and react to the daily issues that crossed your desk? I have some friends with whom I used to regularly snow-ski in Colorado. At the end of a run, we’d often ask each other “Did you ski the mountain or did the mountain ski you?” Of course, we all made it down the mountain, but what we were really asking each other was whether we were in control of our path or were we reacting to the bumps, trees, ice, fellow skiers, and other obstacles in the way?
Ask yourself the same question about the first half of 2006. Were you in control of your “path down the mountain” or did you spend most of your time reacting? In skiing, as in business, you can’t control your path by reacting to the pressures of the moment. Rather, you need to be looking two to three moves ahead (down the mountain) and planning your next move well before the time has come to execute.
Ask yourself how the second half of 2006 can be better? What plans, systems, or measurements can you put in place today to ensure that you or your business perform better in the 2nd half of 2006 than it did in the 1st half?
If you’re doing a good job of planning today, challenge yourself to make it better. If you’re not doing any planning or goal setting, set some short term goals and make a plan to achieve your desired results.
To control your path, in both skiing and business, you need to be planning ahead.
If you need help with your business, financial plans, or goal setting, please give me a call at (314) 863-6637 or send an email to And, remember . . . Your Cash Is Flowing. Know Where.
Copyright @ 2006 Homza Consulting, Inc.