Certain Action in Uncertain Times

“You go to war with the army you have, not the army you might want or wish to have at a later time” – Rumsfield

At the end of this year this quote really resonates with me. I can’t help but think of what army people are going to bring with them into the New Year. Many professionals and some businesses are still facing uncertainty in their future, with a vaccine coming out, potential lockdowns, new strains, there is a plenty that is hanging in the air. The one thing that isn’t uncertain though is that there are still plenty of actions you can take to better your outcomes.

             At what point in time would reducing lead times, cost, waste, while increasing worker skills, engagement, customer service and vision clarity ever lead to worse outcomes for your business. I’ll wait. The way I see it, if you are already on a continuous improvement journey, good for you you’re building your “army” which will pay dividends in the future. For those who have struggled, or never started I urge you to start again or for the first time and invest into your journey. For whatever 2021 has planned for you, preparing now is going to provide far better outcomes than thinking about what might happen.

             As a consultant I’d urge you to look outside your organization on ways to improve. Contact a professional, for small manufacturers with higher mixes and lower volumes I might be the best candidate, for a struggling restaurant I am not the right fit. Regardless, if a storm is coming you only have a certain amount of time and resources available to prepare. How many sandbags can you lay, windows can you board up, coolers filled with ice, batteries and non-perishables can you have on hand. What if a few of your neighbors had a contractor that was filling and laying sandbags differently then you, boarding up windows using different material than you. It might be nice to ask that contractor what he’s doing, might be even better if you get him to show you exactly what he knows about storms and how to help you prepare.

             With these uncertain times, I can’t predict the future but I have a great feeling that some businesses are going to weather the storm better than others. It’s the ones that have insight into what other businesses are doing to prepare, what their competitors might be doing, the ones who are uncovering blind spots they never saw. They will be the one making sure that their processes are stable, predictable and improving. Simply put it’s going to be the ones that invest the resources necessary to be prepared. Not just for the sake of their business either but because their business provides a livelihood to their employees, because their business has customers that rely on them, because their competitors aren’t going to sit by and do nothing.

As 2021 approaches rapidly understand there’s a lot of uncertainty and there will continue to be uncertainty for some time. Also understand that worrying about what you can’t control is not going to help, instead focus on what you can control. Think about what actions you can be taking, so in 2021, your profits, your employees, your suppliers are all a little more secure.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays