I heard a statement recently that made me stop and think. Did you know that termites do more damage annually than hurricanes, fires, floods and tornadoes combined? WOW! I never knew that. But then again, I never thought about it either.
Hurricanes, fires, floods and tornadoes obviously get much more media attention than a colony of termites invading some ones home or business. We glue ourselves to the television watching coverage of the devastation and damage caused by such powerful wonders of Mother Nature. We have a tendency to be creatures of curiosity when it comes to news about disasters.
As I thought about the fact that tiny little termites cause more damage, I started to think about the last time I worried about termites. And that was…… never! They have never been on my to-do list and I have never held a meeting or conference call where they were the topic. I’ve got a lot more to concern myself with than a bunch of tiny, creepy-crawly things. Not even on my radar.
As a business owner, do you find yourself getting caught up in the day to day “stuff” and don’t even notice the obvious things that are eating away at your business one bite at a time? Do you find yourself being more concerned about things that drive you nuts and not observing what you customers are experiencing and feeling? Then at the end of the month, you stop and asked, “What happened?”
One of my favorite quotes is “If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you always gotten”. Doing the same thing, day in and day out, will lead you down the same path, time and time again. Getting caught up in the day to day “clutter” will consume your time and energy and take your sight off of the things that are slowly and unbelievably eating away at your business.
There is no time better than the present to start breaking the chains that are holding you back from becoming more tactical and deliberate in your efforts. Becoming more strategic and focused and concentrating on the things that a business owner should be focusing on will not only improve your business but will help you free up more of your time. You will start to see the things that are negatively impacting you operations and allow you the time to put a plan together to change them.
Think of it this way, it is easy to kill a termite. You can just simply step on it and it’s finished. But, if you never see it in the first place, he’ll continue to eat away, bite by bite, day by day, year by year. Leaving you with a pile of nothing at the end. Taking the time to focus on the things that are most important to your customers and your business is much more strategic than worrying about what might happen tomorrow. Stop worrying about the things that you cannot change and concentrate on the things that you can and that will have a positive impact to you and your business.
Start stomping out the things that are eating away at your business, one step at a time!
