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You can’t manage what you can’t see.

Today’s business management software uniquely provides company visibility that simply wasn’t possible when you were juggling spreadsheets, crew tracking devices and QuickBooks to run a business. Today’s business management software allows you to see what’s happening—NOW!

New Tools, Right Tools

Business management software is the tool that allows you to manage and lead—and not just a tool that is accounting-centric, but sales, service and production-centric. The combination of integrated cloud data management and mobile technology makes information available to everyone (not just the accountants—God bless them; they work very hard). And real-time information is key, because it delivers better customer service, greater efficiency and personal accountability.

It’s hard to believe I’m writing this, but business management software alone provides no unique competitive advantage. Read that again. Having a tool—like software—that no one else has is not nearly as unique as the way you employ it and integrate it into your culture. In other words, it’s how you use the tool to drive action that matters.

Delivering the Goods

We talk about the importance of culture, but what really is it?  In my mind, culture is a collection of accepted visions, traditions, beliefs and practices. Cultures are unique—if you travel to other countries, you know this to be true.

It is the same in business. Every company has a culture. But is yours the one you want? In business, a great culture delivers the goods. There are three goods that really matter: service, efficiency and accountability. These high-value deliverables are essential to success.

Vision and Insight

But how does software affect culture? Let’s go back to visibility—you can’t manage what you can’t see. If you can’t see, how can you act?

  1. Make a guess.
  2. Do what you have always done.
  3. Wait and see.
  4. Do the best you can, and fix it later.
  5. None of the above.

Any answer other than E is costly from a service and efficiency perspective—and worse, it confuses accountability. Nobody is responsible, because everybody is “doing the best they can.” Sound familiar?

If they can’t see it, how can you expect to manage it? A great culture starts with vision. Vision means to see—but see what? Seeing the information that drives the goods: service and efficiency. And it’s not just what you see that matters—when you see the information can help you correct mistakes before your team makes thousands of “A, B, C, D” decisions every week that could cost you customers and money.

That is the power of visibility. If you want everyone to see your vision, think about this: Vision starts with visibility, and visibility is essential to accountability—the third good in a great culture.


Next week, I'll tell you how to start delivering the goods in your green/snow business, starting with service.

 
Kevin Kehoe

Kevin Kehoe