A
Th e
Component Manufacturing dverti$er
Adverti$er
Don’t Forget! You Saw it in the
March 2018 #10224 Page #43
Break Through Your Box
By Ben Hershey, CEO & Coach, 4Ward Consulting Group, LLC
Ben Hershey, CEO & Coach 4Ward Consulting Group, LLC
H
ow many times have you seen your competitor or other businesses in your area copy what you produce or offer? Maybe it is the kind of company that takes a photo of some trusses, puts themselves in front of it, and says, “Look at me, I am the same kind of company they are.” Flattery is great, but is it accurate? Are they the same kind of company? Have they really distinguished themselves enough to say they have the same experience and knowledge you do? While you can’t control their actions, this presents a great opportunity to analyze your own. It’s time to look at what you’re doing, figure out why you’re a market leader, and capitalize on what makes you different. We have all heard the phrase “out-of-the-box thinking,” but many of us find ourselves trapped in the box or settle for what is in the box. The recent series I wrote on TIMWOODS, or even last month’s article on Disruptive Innovation, stirs most people to make changes, to begin a journey of either continuous improvement to better service, quality, efficiency, or to provide new services or products to your customers. What I often find is owners/managers/supervisors stuck doing things the same way they always have. It is their comfort zone. Often our teams say they should be “thinking outside the box”— but, if you’re in the box, maybe you should turn this around and find ways to break through from inside the box. When it comes to boxes, there will always be some that define our reality. For lumber yards, component plants, and millwork operations, a 2x4 is just that, a 2x4. Though there are lots of other materials out there that we work with, it is that stick of wood we are still dealing with—our box. Now imagine sitting with your team (or at a standing meeting) where you have asked them to invent a new idea for the business in the next 20 minutes. Because it is so broad, most people will give up without trying. Instead, change the question. Ask: what does service, our customer, and delivery have in common? This will spark an entirely different conversation and should allow you to focus, in this case, on how we improve the process of delivering product to our customer. The same is true that, in many companies, leaders will try to be the only one who comes up with an idea for the future, or for change in process. Focusing our team on how to tackle these questions will bring out new ideas with differing views. Recently, the Pastor at our church has been teaching from Nehemiah; his approach is from the perspective that Nehemiah saw a problem and wanted to address it and rally the people around the action to correct it. At the same time, I have been reading a book on vision for leaders by several authors. In it, they also refer to the book of Nehemiah and talk about Vision and the importance it plays in addressing the situation. Two different approaches, but one common goal—to improve upon the situation that exists. If your competitors are copying what you are doing, find a way to distinguish yourself, especially in areas where they cannot compete. Breakthrough ideas from within the box can be accomplished, and what follows are a few ideas on how to do that. Continued next page
PHONE: 800-289-5627
Read/Subscribe online at www.componentadvertiser.com
FAX: 800-524-4982