How do you set your future agenda – is it based on personal objectives, or do you research and run tests?
How do you go about benchmarking in your specialty or industry? Whichever way you keep score, it’s all about reading the conditions, so you can obtain a view of current state and your desired future and, with these assessments in hand, plan how to get there.
Since 2005 I’ve run a small acreage farm in regional Victoria and over the years, we’ve had some excellent results with our olive trees (luckily we are also blessed with a Sicilian mother-in-law to assist with preparing the fruits of our labour).
Every couple of years I run a soil test on the farm, giving me an insight into the pH balance and key mineral elements that drive productivity.
With the latest results in hand, I recently had a contractor spread lime to boost the calcium and magnesium, guano to top up the phosphorus and potassium sulphate to rebuild potassium levels. In Spring, we’ll attend to the nitrogen requirements.
The point is – through understanding the required future state, and assessing current conditions against that objective, I’m making informed decisions about where and when to apply time and resources.
Just like a good business, it’s about having a benchmark for what ‘good’ looks like. Your objective data tells you where things are at right now, and provides the professional insights on what needs to change to achieve the desired results.
How do you set your own future agenda – is it based on personal objectives, or do you research and run tests?
When you’re looking at longer-term objectives, what data do you collect to help you read current conditions?
Once you are armed with these pieces of information, how do you and your team make decisions?
Do you have a regular cadence of review and priority-setting to help advance the cause?
Read more about measurement in Chapter 11 of my first business book, Propelling Performance.