I love football.
It is a game about strategy, offense, defense, all kinds of numbers and measurements, and generally for those people that relate to sports analogies: it is the perfect sport.
Let's consider some of the aspects in a typical professional season.
There are 16 games and rarely do we see a flawless 16-0 performance.
Ok, the Miami Dolphins did it once, and how many times has it been done since? Not.
We have seen miraculous recoveries from 30 point deficits.
We have seen whole seasons go down the drain because of key injuries.
We have seen huge momentum swings because of inopportune interceptions or someone making a key fumble only to turn the ball over to the other team with disastrous results.
It's just a great game.
But for most business owners, they simply do not have the luxury of treating their companies like they are merely a game; nor should they.
There is a so much more at stake for them, and they and their families are usually dependent on the business for their economic life and death.
Having said that though, they certainly can learn an awful lot from a close study of this game called football.
Here's one thing to consider.
Virtually everything that happens in this game is measured.
They measure not just the number of victories but the number of defeats.
They also measure the total yardage gained and the time of possession.
When they look at yards it breaks down further.
They look at yards from scrimmage, yards after completion of a pass, yards rushing, yards from punts, yards from field goals, yards gained or lost from turnovers, yards gained or lost through penalties, total offensive and total defensive yards gained or lost.
They also look at the number of penalties, sacks, and a myriad of other mathematical dissections.
Your business is made up of similar numbers which need to be rated, charted, measured and tracked.
In business, we call these numbers "Key Point Indicators.
" In football if there is marked improvement in any one of the parameters we just considered, it can mean the difference between, having a winning season or not, and making the playoffs and not.
Individual player numbers in the plus or minus column can result in literally millions of dollars in contract negotiations.
It is all about the numbers and the numbers ultimately translate into big MONEY.
"Show me the Money!" So take a look at your business and start tracking (measuring) everything.
Don't be afraid about being accused of micro-managing.
That's not what this is about at all.
It's about establishing base lines for your current performance so you can project where you want to go and where you want to take your company.
So start measuring your profit margins, your absenteeism, your employee turnover rate, inventory turnover, sales lead conversions, advertising expenditures versus advertising effectiveness, everything...
and remember: "Measurement is the Key to Improvement.
"
It is a game about strategy, offense, defense, all kinds of numbers and measurements, and generally for those people that relate to sports analogies: it is the perfect sport.
Let's consider some of the aspects in a typical professional season.
There are 16 games and rarely do we see a flawless 16-0 performance.
Ok, the Miami Dolphins did it once, and how many times has it been done since? Not.
We have seen miraculous recoveries from 30 point deficits.
We have seen whole seasons go down the drain because of key injuries.
We have seen huge momentum swings because of inopportune interceptions or someone making a key fumble only to turn the ball over to the other team with disastrous results.
It's just a great game.
But for most business owners, they simply do not have the luxury of treating their companies like they are merely a game; nor should they.
There is a so much more at stake for them, and they and their families are usually dependent on the business for their economic life and death.
Having said that though, they certainly can learn an awful lot from a close study of this game called football.
Here's one thing to consider.
Virtually everything that happens in this game is measured.
They measure not just the number of victories but the number of defeats.
They also measure the total yardage gained and the time of possession.
When they look at yards it breaks down further.
They look at yards from scrimmage, yards after completion of a pass, yards rushing, yards from punts, yards from field goals, yards gained or lost from turnovers, yards gained or lost through penalties, total offensive and total defensive yards gained or lost.
They also look at the number of penalties, sacks, and a myriad of other mathematical dissections.
Your business is made up of similar numbers which need to be rated, charted, measured and tracked.
In business, we call these numbers "Key Point Indicators.
" In football if there is marked improvement in any one of the parameters we just considered, it can mean the difference between, having a winning season or not, and making the playoffs and not.
Individual player numbers in the plus or minus column can result in literally millions of dollars in contract negotiations.
It is all about the numbers and the numbers ultimately translate into big MONEY.
"Show me the Money!" So take a look at your business and start tracking (measuring) everything.
Don't be afraid about being accused of micro-managing.
That's not what this is about at all.
It's about establishing base lines for your current performance so you can project where you want to go and where you want to take your company.
So start measuring your profit margins, your absenteeism, your employee turnover rate, inventory turnover, sales lead conversions, advertising expenditures versus advertising effectiveness, everything...
and remember: "Measurement is the Key to Improvement.
"