In an earlier blog (see 1/28/08 posting) I related some principles from knowing Al McGuire, the deceased but not forgotten, Marquette basketball coach and broadcaster. Just the other day I was reminded of him in 2 ways. The first was from one of my consulting associates, Rick Maurer, stating that we must improve our customer performance 25% just to stay in the game. The second was from a synopsis of the NBA Finals, where so many of the athletes said their simple goal EACH day was to get better. Al McGuire demanded it.
Interesting premise. Aren't we maintaining quality if we work hard and keep on doing what we've experienced success with yesterday? I think not. When we paddle a canoe up stream, if we stop paddling, we go backwards. The problem is that our competition is working as hard (maybe even harder) to win. That means that after 34 years in the business world, I have to still get up each day and find a way to grow, to challenge myself, and to find things that add value to others.
I am absolutely flabbergasted at the rate of technological innovation we're experiencing now. The speed of the game has increased geometrically. That's what you constantly hear from rookies in the NBA: "The speed of the game is so much faster than college. I need to learn the game better so that I can simply react without thinking and make the play."
In the business world, when we are situationaly challenged, we use our current knowledge & experience to determine the appropriate response. The learning must already be absorbed by then, to be able to apply and come up with the right thing to do. What used to be something that could wait a week now happens overnight, later today, or even immediately. If we haven't improved from the last experience, we may not get it right.
How are you growing and getting better each day? Compared to last year, and compared to your competitors, have you stayed the same, gotten better, or back slid?
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