Mistakes make them and learn ok

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(Free-Press-Release.com) August 5, 2011 --

2.3 Mistakes Action after thoughtful planning is better than any word. It gets things done & you can measure the results. Story 1 I worked in a company that wanted to know all the answers before they would take action It went bankrupt. They had a competitor who had a very smart managing director who made decisions early after getting the appropriate information. He made mistakes but also made a lot of money for the company. As Colonel Powell said as the leader of the first gulf war. “If I make a decision before I have 20 % of the information my people will be killed but if I wait for more than 80 % of the information they will get killed.” Time is the key issue. We all make mistakes. You don’t have to beat yourself up for making one or two every week. That is all part of life. Learning is the key. Try to think about it the next time when a similar situation arises and do it differently by recalling the assumptions of the past and change. Measure the improvements and the results achieved. Mistakes are not bad unless you learn nothing from them. Encourage them in your people but remember selection is key. Attitude/aptitude. Nurture versus Nature. Story 2 When I first went to KPMG Hong Kong as a director in the managing consulting group, I asked my team, who were mainly Chinese, a question. How many mistakes they had made in the last week? They looked at each other and thought I was joking. They said “None. Ross.” I said OK but if you don’t make 3 mistakes during the next week I will fire you. Then they really thought I was very crazy. I was just trying to make a point to get them to change and broaden their thinking. Do you know what? They all came up with 2 or 3 mistakes in the next week’s meeting. While it was hard for them to do, they came to not to be afraid of failure as times passes. The business took on a new culture, which resulted in better results for the department. They started to lose their fear of having to always be right or perfect. Lessons Learnt 1. Think 2.Plan 3. Action-Take the leap of faith-You will get to the other side of the valley 4. Changes and Adapt 5. Make the next step 6. Go back to point 1-never stop repeating the cycle Always move forward. Each step helps you to learn. As a baby does when they try to walk. They never give in. They want to walk. Why should you stop knowing that you can go further? Shoot for the stars and you will at least hit the moon. We have started with some of the key issues in business, I am sure we all have been faced with at least one of them. I will now try to give some guiding points of what I have learnt over the years at a tactical, operational and practical level to help you “Make More Money”. “It takes a few pains for a lot gains.” Change your Business with these first 35 of the 102 guiding principles I know of. Use them and watch your business and profits grow -quickly with your well thought through decisions Where do I go from here? “Take over the world” & be successful, as Doctor Evil from Austin Powers would say. Let’s keep going with some practical examples So far there has been too much preamble by me but I was trying to set the stage for the type of the book. This is the first book in a trilogy. It has 35 guides for you. If they can add to your knowledge and are applied well they will help you and your business to “make more money”. I promise. If you have any questions just email me at rosswrigley@worldviewcn.com or makemoremoney.cn and I will try my best to help to give you advice according to some of my experiences. I have a good network of people globally that I can draw on in the areas where I have less experience or no experience. I am a humble person and I know my weaknesses or think. I know most of them. Understand the guides that appeal to you most and use them. Also understand what you don’t know and think about those things. Don’t try practicing them all today or even this month. That is too hard. And you will fail. Do it gradually and you will succeed. What does your business need? Today, Next Month, One Year, Five years. Being seventeen years old was only like yesterday in my mind. You need to keep moving forward. Comfort Zone Syndrome Some people will never succeed because they live in a “Comfort Zone Syndrome” They are too scared to move. they let the cheese get stale and don’t even see it until it is too late” to quote the “Who Moved my Cheese” author- Dr Spencer Johnson. If you have purchased this book you will not be one of these people. I will try to give you some hints to get the courage to continue. I hope this helps you. Other syndromes, which may stop you moving, and getting things to happen-- inertia. 1. I know it all 2. It won’t work for me 3. Not now because blah, blah, blah (excuses) I will repeat the AAA’s The 3 As of success 1. Apply 2. Adept 3. Adopt 1. Apply-Action gets results 2. Adapt-The shadows of the nights might scare you” but adept or die” as Darwin used to lecture. 3. Adopt-Take on board the ones that appeal to you most and change them to fit your style. Everyone will work when you use your own style when applying them. Here are 3 guides that I have learned during my career which when applied with understanding will help your business. Guide 1 Business hints for people who hate managing business but who have started one owned one or managed one. Story 1 . This first story is about a refrigeration design and manufacturing company where I once worked in. The managing director who knew how to do the work but wanted and needed help with his processes and the company management systems. Together we set up Customer Service Level agreements to ISO 9001 standards. He also wanted help to set up his management and operational processes, which we did. This helped to set his business up for the future and he is now very successful. Well-done Rob. Lessons Learnt There is managing and doing. When you establish a business makes sure you put enough time in to managing it. You have a lot of work to do but take time to think and manage. Henry Ford used to say, “Put in 100 hours of planning before one hour of action.” Story 2 This is an old Chinese story from 500 years ago. It is of a farmer’s son who was dreaming of the idea of a tractor and how it would make his life easier to work on the farm. He told his father of the dream. His father told him “with these Oxen we must plough” This tractor you talk about is not invented and not likely to be for 400-500 years. So you have to work with what have if you want to have food and live. So they took the Oxen, ploughed the field and fed their family. Lessons Learnt You usually have to do the job with the tools at hand. You have to sow the field before you can plough the field; tractor or not you need to eat. The other Chinese version of this is plant then you eat. You need to use what you have to achieve results. Technology 90 % of the time is not the main solution but most people think it is. I will give an example of this. Think of the immigration line when you enter a country. The processing of your passport takes 40 seconds approximately but you wait in immigration queue for 15 minutes before that. Good management through scheduling is the key, not new technology. When you are at the bank what takes most of the time talking with the bank teller or waiting for the teller to talk to you because of the queue. Technology helps but it not the main solution typically. Good proactive management is the key to good customer experience. Lessons Learnt 1. You’re not born with the skills to be a manager/entrepreneur it takes hard work, training and patience. 2. Companies have seen results quickly, when they act wisely after getting advice. I these are simple strategies. They are not rocket science just common sense solutions. ii Be practical with theory to guide you but don’t get. Paralysis through analysis. Don’t think out the issue. iii Dreams are great but you have to do what you can with what you have to move forward. Guide 2 See the bigger Picture Know the enemy may be you You have started. Well done. Keep the leap of faith. Here I have written 3 stories. The first is about being honest about you. The second and third is about walking in the other persons’ shoes and understand what is driving them.