It’s Not Rocket Science

Our process at Contractor Succession usually launches with an on-site client visit that we affectionately term our “State-of-the-Union Assessment”.  This involves an in-depth analysis of the business from soup to nuts.  As part of that visit, we interview numerous employees from different parts of the business.  The goal is for us to get a comprehensive view of what’s good and what needs work;  who is easy to deal with and who needs an attitude adjustment;  what makes money and what should be thrown in the river.  If you ask enough questions to enough people then shut your mouth, you’ll gain a lot of insight.  The shut your mouth part is always the challenge for me.

Inevitably, we hear a similar refrain from nearly every business owner and their employees during these mini-interrogations.  Things like: “We used to do that before we got busy”.  “I did that at my other company and it seemed to work there”.  “We know we should be doing this”.   Here’s the crazy thing, I own my own HVAC and Plumbing business and guess what I hear myself saying sometimes?  Yep, you got it….the same damn things.  Why do have to get hit over the head time after time before we realize it’s the little things that make the difference?  Read Weldon Long’s book “The Power of Consistency”.

Processes and procedures can either be the lifeblood or the bain of an organization.  As a business owner, you need to determine which matter and which are just fluff.  Know your non-negotiables then hold yourself and others accountable to make them happen.  Which ones make you the most or cost you the most money?  Which ones make your customers happy and which ones piss them off the most?  And finally, which ones save your employees time and which ones completely waste their time?  Make the effort to assess these then LEAD.  It’s not Rocket Science.