In my travels I'm exposed to people from all walks of life.
I find it very interesting and sometimes entertaining how they view the current economy and their life situation overall.
Some are always upbeat and then some are eternally hopeful.
What does eternally hopeful mean? What that it really means is that they sit back "Hope" things will get better.
In reality that's the way most businesses and people react to most situations...
In business I've seen owners turn a blind eye on people or situations that are hurting their business.
They do this because they don't want to or don't know how to address the situation and are too proud to ask for help.
This also happens with employees.
I once witnessed an employee verbally abuse a potential customer.
This was a long time employee and when the owner of the business was made aware of this action he said, "Oh well, that's John.
He's the best salesperson I have.
I could never replace him.
" Really? In today's world where our communication methods are immediate do you really think it's OK to not handle your business in a Customer friendly manner? Seriously? My take is simple in regards to business.
In today's climate if I need ANY information the first thing I do is search on the Internet.
I'll either sit down at my computer or pull out my cell phone.
It's immediate, it's accurate and it's affective.
Avoiding is a human condition.
Just because you don't acknowledge something isn't going to make it get better or go away.
When we are forced to acknowledge an issue or situation it can get scary.
It's scary because we either don't want to or don't know how to address the issue.
It's easier to sit back and say "It will get better or I hope it will work out.
" Bringing us back to my question of the day.
Are you a Victim or an Owner? Here are some Interesting Facts and differences between the two.
Victims vs.
Owners · Everyone is either an owner or a victim · 95% of people live their lives acting like victims · Owners take responsibility for their actions · Victims blame the economy or outside circumstances for their poor performance Business and in Life So are you a Victim or an Owner? Here is the main difference between the two.
Owners have a system or process implemented in their life or business.
A system in everyday life can also be referred to as a routine.
Have you ever wondered how a Big Mac and fries can taste the exact same if you were to visit a McDonald's in Florida or California? It's easy, they have a system.
Most successful businesses have a system or process that they implement and monitor for their business.
It's a system that is easy to duplicate and teach.
In life we have routines.
We wake up, brush our teeth, let the dog out and have breakfast.
Then we get dressed go to work or something similar.
We have a specific day to clean our house, do our laundry or mow our lawn.
It's virtually the same thing as a system or process.
It's a way of reaching our goals or a desired outcome.
The word System says it all! S -Save Y -Yourself S - Self T - Time E - Energy M - Money So where do you get started? It's easy here are 8 Steps in Creating a System or Process.
1.
What is your Desired Outcome: What are our expectations for this system? (I.
e.
More profit? You can try up selling at the time of purchase.
"Would you like to Super Size your order? " At home perhaps you want to make sure that the lawn is cut before the weekend.
) 2.
Identify the players: Who is involved and what are their responsibilities? (Employees / Family Members?) 3.
Communication: We MUST communicate EXACTLY what we are trying to accomplish.
(i.
e.
Happy Customers, Fast Service, more profit or a well manicured lawn) 4.
Feedback & Input: Get feedback from the players.
They are the ones who are responsible for this task and will lead you to your outcome so it's important to get feedback and input.
Plus if they design the system they will feel responsible for its success.
5.
System Elements: There are 5 key questions to ask when developing a system.
They are, Who, What, Where, When & How.
Example: · Who is responsible? · What do we do if X happens? Have a Plan B...
· Where does this take place? · When do we carry out this action? · How do we make this happen? 6.
Map it out: Most of us have a lot of distractions in our lives and it's easy to forget or get side tracked.
If there is a visual reference or a reminder it's harder to forget and this will serve as a constant reminder.
7.
Track: In life and in business it's important to track our results.
How will we ever know if we are achieving our goal or reaching our outcome if we are not tracking our results? The first step in tracking is to know your starting point.
Once noted it will be easy to determine if the system is successful.
Tracking will also help you identify where or who in the system you need to reassess or retrain if our desired outcome is not achieved.
8.
Reassess: This is probably the most important step.
Time and climates change by the minute in our fast paced world.
If our system is not working we need to reassess the system.
Identify if it's the system and or an individual.
If it's an individual you can retain or replace.
If it's the system repeat these steps.
Albert Einstein said it best; "Doing the same thing and expecting different results" is the definition of insanity.
It's important to have a system and make sure that the system is working for you.
We are all "Owners" in one respect or another.
In life and business we have to have a system.
When we have a system we have more confidence knowing that any situation that may arise we will be ready with a Plan B.
There is one element we can't control and that's time.
We can't turn it back, we can't make more of it and we can't buy it.
Having a system or process that is easy and can be duplicated is NOT AN OPTION!