Business is fun
Gloss
According to the weather forecast, there is no real snow forecast before Christmas now. Which is not to say that we will be having pretend snow instead.
Many people would say that we've had enough anyway in the last few days, though I for one would not agree - I love the snow. For one thing, it makes everything brighter and cleaner-looking, so in many ways its a bit like slapping on some make up and, in the process, hiding a multitude of spots and other blemishes.
But it is superficial and as we all know, usually it doesn't last, and before long, lumps and bumps reappear, the potholes in the road seem suddenly bigger and deeper and the once clean covering is dirty, brown-coloured and looks a bit like mashed potatoes and gravy, spread all over the roads.
For many businesses, attempting to fix problems is a bit like the snow falling. Superficial fixes which don't address the real problems or people issues will never be long-lasting.
As I go to press with this post, comes the news that after 120 years of temporary fixes, the Forth (Rail) Bridge is going to be maintenance-free for the next 25 years. It has taken many years to find the right paint-solution after many years of superficial fixes. None of them lasting or really tackling the underlying problem.
For many businesses though, discovering what the real problem is, is difficult. Perhaps because you don't want to or can't begin to confront the issues which beset the business. I'm not for one minute suggesting you adopt confrontational approaches; I am, however, suggesting a shared view of what is important, getting another perspective on the problem. Get the team involved - as I know through experience - they know better than you do what the problems are and how to fix them permanently.
Bifocals help you see better, the things which are close up and far away: it is true that sometimes the closer you are to a problem, the harder it is to see; and the farther away a problem is, disguised by the distance, the less urgent or important it will seem.
Get yourself and your business a new pair of glasses for Christmas and you might have a better chance of seeing what your new year resolutions need to be.
JohnF
PS I'm not sure that the met office have invested in bifocals yet which might be one take on why forecasts are seldom correct...
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