Deseret News Archives,
Sunday, December 30, 2001

Edition: All
Section: Money
Page: M01
Length: 68 lines

Rework, simplify the job 'forest'

Half of the plot had been thinned to address overcrowding and create more light for the remaining trees. The trees in the thinned section immediately responded to the treatment, and during their remaining life almost doubled in size compared to the untreated section.

The investment in thinning the forest more than paid for itself in the return that the company received. In a sense, what we had done during the thinning operation is much like what a business executive can do in the heat of battle. Pause to consider what might be done to "thin out" your operation in order to increase personal efficiency and company productivity.

Right now, while you are reading this article, take a minute to look at your calendar or planner. What is not working, what is confusing, what is missing? You probably already know the changes that you would like to make. Make them!

In her new book, "Simplify Your Work Life," Elaine St. James includes a chapter on being more productive. A few of her subtitle sections include: "Eliminate the distractions," "Bring your full attention to your work," "Use a timer," "When you're overwhelmed, stop," "Work with an inner smile," "Laugh right out loud," "Stop procrastinating," "Employ all your senses" and "Give yourself a thump."

I will let you discover her ideas in more detail if you are interested.

Identify a couple of objectives for your firm and for yourself. Even if you work on just one or two of them, you will be further ahead in the end. Remember, all we did to that forest plot was thin the overcrowded trees. Once we had done our part, we let the environment take care of the rest.

Review the assets under your control. Do you need all of them? Things require our time and use up our money.

Look at your business model, how you produce revenue, the cost components of the business, the profitability. Is there a better way to run the company?

What have your competitors done to change in the past year and should you do the same things? Or something even better?

As you end 2001 and look to 2002, consider undertaking the following: Make a list using the ideas above and add items in your business that are bothering you the most. Have your key employees do the same, both for their jobs and, if you are comfortable, for your position. Meet to compare lists. You may find more similarities than differences.

You will not be able to change everything and probably shouldn't. Prioritize the items and decide what you can accomplish during the coming year.

Organize yourself and your team to address the prioritized issues. If you work closely with your management team, it can be helpful to adopt a similar planning and calendaring style. Many companies have benefited from having a trainer help them with learning and adopting a new methodology in planning and organizing.

December and January are great months to implement new ideas. Employees and customers expect to see something different during this time of year.

Leaving the "forest" to its own devices increases our risk of missing the real opportunities.

Gary Williams, a former CEO of a high-tech firm, is affiliated with the BYU Center for Entrepreneurship. He can be contacted via e-mail at cfe@byu.edu.

© 2001 Deseret News Publishing Co.