Create Your Dashboard for Success

Driving down the road our eyes frequently scan the vital instruments on the dashboard that monitor speed, fuel level, coolant temperature, and oil pressure. The modern vehicle also has many more devices that constantly monitor various systems for fuel mixture, exhaust gasses, timing adjustment and others. If there is something amiss, sensors trigger the "check-engine" light. As long as the instruments register within their normal range the "check-engine" light stays off and we drive along confidently that we will reach our destination safely and without problems.

Just like an automobile, a business is a complex system with many factors to be monitored. Sales volume, past-due accounts, cash-flow, employee turnover, new customer acquisition, inventory turns, margins, balky vendors, and quality measurements are just a few of the endless number of systems vital to the health of a company. It is difficult, if not impossible to watch all these systems constantly so I advise business owners to create a few, vital measurements to scan daily in the same manner we scan our cars' dashboard, then delegate a second set of items that others monitor. When things go outside normal levels they are instructed to inform you in the same way the computers in your car turn on that "check engine" light.

Of course each business is unique. Each has different needs and different items to monitor. Ask what is vital to the safety of the company, to smooth, efficient administration, and to increased customer satisfaction. Determine the factors that measure these important aspects of your business.

Design a dashboard to measure activities and tasks that are vital to your business. Monitor the delegated systems that alert you to matters that suddenly become abnormal. With a dashboard and delegated monitoring systems your business will arrive at its destination safely and profitably.

You don't want your car to run out of gasoline or your business to falter by running out of a vital resource so keep looking at your dashboard.

Larry Galler coaches and consults with high-performance executives, professionals, and small businesses since 1993. He is the writer of the long-running (every Sunday since November 2001) business column, "Front Lines with Larry Galler" Sign up for his free newsletter at http://www.larrygaller.com Questions??? Send an email to larry@larrygaller.com

---

Conquering the Number One Problem in Business--Poor Communication

The Number One problem in business is poor communication: between... Read More

Lead to Succeed: The Seven Essential Steps to Work Leader Success

In my book "You're In Charge?What Now?" I use a... Read More

Are Your Marketing Pieces Up to Date?

The other day someone asked me for one of my... Read More

Factoring Financing: How to Grow Your Business Without Debt or Loans

What is factoring?Accounts receivable financing, also known as factoring, is... Read More

The Dog That Didnt Bark

A few weeks ago, after consultations with others in an... Read More

How Your Feelings and Those of Your Employees Can Make The Difference

How we feel is really more important than what we... Read More

Managers? Biggest Blunders

Nobody's perfect, including the boss. Managers, we polled recently, acknowledged... Read More

Business Fails When We Do Not Talk

You may remember being told as a child, "Keep quiet!"... Read More

A Journey of a Thousand Miles

You can't build a reputation on what you are "going"... Read More

What Makes A Good Media Story?

Media relations can be difficult, but also rewarding. And the... Read More

Its Not Always What You Say

A major source of communication breakdowns is incongruence between the... Read More

Print Buying Consultant

Ten Money Saving Tips for Print ManagersDespite their stated desire... Read More

Tap Employee Passion For Business Success

Meriwether Lewis set the stage for the Corps of Discovery's... Read More

Blame Culture Blues - How the Language of Blame Manifests Organisational Underperformance

If you have ever worked within a large organisation then... Read More

Radical Creativity from Incremental Creativity ? large movements from small changes

Positive radical movement is the holy grail of nearly every... Read More

Can What Someone Does Off-hours Affect Your Business?

Q: How much do I have to worry about what... Read More

Managers Who Spend PR $$ Wisely

If you are a department, division or subsidiary manager, your... Read More

Effective Multi Cultural International Business Meetings

Of the many areas in international business where cultural differences... Read More

Einstein, The Universe, And Leadership

Every since serving a hitch in the military, I have... Read More

How to Make the Best of it - Take Your Weather with You

I once worked in a place where there were three... Read More

Change Behaviors, Change Performance

Every organization is looking for the holy grail of performance... Read More

Managing Change in the Workplace

Change is exhilarating. Change is terrifying. Change is badly needed... Read More

Creativity and Innovation Management: The Creative State

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More

Let the Professionals Help You Out - Outsource

As your website grows in terms of attracting more footfalls,... Read More

Questions To Ask Employees You Want To Retain

Times of cost cutting and downsizing has dramatically impacted the... Read More

Four Steps to Better Performance Reviews

Direct reports-people who need direction and leadership-rely on their leaders... Read More

Business Innovation ? Improvisation

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More

Management Team Section of Business Plans

Writing an award winning business plan is a great skill,... Read More

What Personal Assistants Really Want

What would happen if the personal assistants in your organisation... Read More

Business Innovation ? the Value of Work Processes

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More

Internal Communication: 12 Essential Elements

There are 12 essential elements of a successful internal communications... Read More

To Meet or Not to Meet - What are the Questions?

Meetings can be a total waste of time or a... Read More

Eight Skills of Highly Successful Consultants

With deference to Dr. Covey and his very popular Seven... Read More