GPI 035 – When setting goals, do not select too many; pick the most critical first and beat them to death!

A fortune cookie says, “If you try to chase two rabbits, you will not catch either.” This goes for setting goals and going after problems. Chose just a few and you are far more likely to get them under control. Set goals for 27 different things and you are likely to get none finished completely.

Your management group needs to be focused and you can help do this when you pinpoint the two or three major things that have the largest impact on profitability which your group needs to work on. Once those issues are being finished and nearly complete, immediately move on, discuss the success your excellent managers have demonstrated and isolate and discuss the next item on the list that is affecting your bottom line the most.

Always keep the team’s attention on a very few important items. Examples of what might be considered and discussed might include the following questions. Do we have enough sales? If so, what are our margins and which do we need to focus on improving? Are sales declining? Do we have more or less customers than a year ago? Are we improving our net profit percentage each year or is it diminishing? Select the most pressing issue first and beat it to death.