Over the years I’ve heard a lot of complaints from US companies about working with offshores staff. One of the most frequent complaints is “too much hand-holding”. So what does “hand-holding” mean? Well, it’s not flattering – it creates an image of a child needing help. In relation to services, it’s when the client has […]
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Waste and Adding Value Strategically
A way to think about optimization is focusing on waste. If you concentrate on how and where you are wasteful, you naturally optimize your process. In services, waste is anything you do that does not ultimately bring value to your clients. You can’t simply tell your team “don’t waste!” because some is inevitable (or even […]
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Find the Bottleneck
When your team isn’t making enough progress, it’s tempting to push everyone to work harder. But that’s a mistake. Instead, “find the bottleneck” – where the work is getting stuck in the process. Let’s put this into action. Look at something your team regularly delivers that you wish you could deliver faster or more smoothly. Next, […]
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Questions to Truth
David Sandler said “the problem the patient brings to their therapist is never the real problem.” They may say “I’m not sleeping well” or “I’m fighting with my wife” – but that’s not the real problem, not the root cause. It’s the therapist’s job to dig deeper until they get to the bottom of what […]
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Find the Real Reason Why People Buy
In order to have a successful business, you need to know the real reason why your customers buy your products or services. To illustrate this, ask yourself… Do people buy things for the same as the reasons they say they buy things? For example, why do people buy Starbucks? What are some of the things […]
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