Fire,...Aim,...Ready?

How many times have you heard this?

"We just got a bid in, let's get started!" 

-- or --

"Client just called, they have a problem, let's go!"

As the quick-response, client-centric heroes that we are, we tend to react first without properly understanding the problem or our solution for that matter.

Uncover the Significance First

Although we are sometimes guilty of reacting instinctively, nowadays, before we execute on anything - a task, a contract, even a simple client call, we make sure that we have the right people, processes, and tools in place. In order to do that, we first find out from our clients what is important to them and why that is important. 

Usually the 'what to do' and 'when it is due by' is clearly defined, but I am willing to bet many of us fail to understand the reason behind the request, and thus what the key issues are because we are so eager to be the first to answer the call.

Set Your Sights on the Right Target, not Just Any Target

By getting ready rather than jumping headfirst into a tender several years ago, we learned that the client did not necessarily need the most cost-effective solution but rather the most 'price certain' offering. So we built in a fixed price schedule with not-to-exceed values for those items which had some ambiguity, and the job was ours. We aimed at the right target before firing off rounds and rounds of resources.

We could have designed a bid that focused on low cost, or maximizing float, or minimizing the number of deliveries, or any target we ‘thought’ the client wanted. And our competitors undoubtedly launched arrows at various targets as well, but by knowing which target to hit, allowed us to win the project.

Get Ready Already

In a previous role, when a client had an operational issue offshore regarding a riser that would not connect to one of the jacket clamps, we started designing several costly, intricate contraptions and lengthy modifications to rectify the situation. At the end of the day, my drafting manager stopped in, looked at the drawing and asked me "why don't you just unclamp the riser above the problem area and then try to connect it?" And what do you know? It worked.

It was such a simple suggestion that it didn't occur to any of our brilliant engineers, nor myself. But if we had held a proper readiness meeting, I bet we would have saved an entire day of needless engineering. It reminded me of the story of the Lumberjack:

Sharpen Your Ax First

It was the final of the Annual Lumberjack Competition, and only two competitors remained. One was an older experienced lumberjack and the other was a strong fellow about twenty years his junior. The rules of the competition were quite simple. The two lumberjacks would each be given an ax to chop a gigantic log and the first one to cut it into two pieces would be declared the winner.

The younger lumberjack was full of enthusiasm, grabbed an ax and started cutting the giant log immediately while the older lumberjack sat down on his log and started sharpening his blade.

The young lumberjack was swinging away, barely taking time to catch his breath. He felt more and more confident with every notch he made because he knew that he had superior youth and stamina than the older lumberjack.

Twenty minutes in, the older lumberjack finished sharpening his ax, stood on the log, and with a few mighty blows, cut the giant log in half before the young lumberjack was able to complete the job with his dull blade.

The older lumberjack accepted his reward and gave the young lumberjack his ax which he had engraved with the inscription, ‘Sharpen Your Ax First’.

Get Help with Target Practice

It is becoming increasingly more complicated to know which targets your business needs to hit. So for help on how we can help you to get ready and execute on your firm’s most critical objectives, please contact us at [email protected].

Steve Louis is a Managing Director at Eternal Energy LLC and is based in Houston Texas. Eternal Energy is a business advisory and technology commercialization firm which has helped a number of clients at various stages of their growth including startups which is his passion. He can be reached at [email protected] or by visiting www.eternal-nrg.com.

Keywords

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