One of the greatest truths of life is that pro-active people are far more effective than re-active ones. Pro-active people make things happen because they take action; re-active people see things happen around them because others have taken action. The same is true for any business or organisation.
It’s common for some companies to feel like they are forced to spend money on business and IT solutions. The driving force behind the spending is generally a negative push away from an undesired state or pain. In business this pain can take on many forms. For example:
- Realisation that a critical leadership tool like reports is totally unreliable and inaccurate
- The high cost of maintaining an outdated and inadequate system
- Constant interruptions because of speed issues and system failures
Ignoring these vital signs of a failing system will end in disaster. Staff will leave, sales will drop, costs will sky rocket and the end will be in sight.
Changing your system because of these failings is necessary and unavoidable, if the business is to survive in today’s market. However, the issue here is that the implementation of the new system is re-active rather than pro-active based on design and planning.
Having a clear company vision with goals and aspirations set out from day one is vital and will align every action and spend. The business has to act every day with the end result in mind. Investment in human resources, IT, new capital equipment and research will all make sense if it can be mentally validated against the vision of the business.
Having a vision becomes ultimately beneficial when the leaders of the business plan investment accurately to achieve their goals. Information and the technology that stores and presents this information is a crucial aspect of any business. When the future of the business is planned, investment in the accuracy and reliability of the information which the business needs should be considered carefully.
Pro-active organisations will consider their business system needs for the future, validated against a clear vision. I propose a new phrase for the proactive business: “If it isn’t broke, that’s great! However, will this system provide us with what we need to achieve our goals?”
Mark Fermor, Sales Manager
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