“Action not completed” refers to a task, project, or objective that remains unfinished or unresolved because the necessary steps are not fully executed to achieve the intended outcome.
Primary Implication
When business owners fail to follow through on an action, they put both their profits and cash flow at unnecessary risk. The lack of reliable follow-through is the number one challenge holding small-business owners back from owning profitable businesses with more predictable cash flows.
Protect your business, customers, and employees from the failure to follow-through by not agreeing to take an action you don’t fully intend to complete. It is better to say no a request requiring action then to say yes and fail to do what you say you will do.
Overview
Without action on the “critical few” things needing to be completed each week, you waste time and money on the “relevant many” things that are easy to do but can and should be ignored for the moment. Lack of priority focus is a quick way to begin feeling the following business cardiac arrest effects:
- Stuff happens, but no one is sure if it’s the right stuff to do, because there is no monitoring of actual performance results through recognized metrics.
- No one is clear on who is accountable for what, nor are they clear on what’s expected of them in their individual roles.
- Employees are more worried about whether their payroll checks will clear than they are about producing quality output and efficiently serving customers.
- Any work getting done is the result of efforts by the critical few in your employ; the rest of your employees have given up or checked out.
- The above four conditions result in the owner, either checking out or doing even more work for little to no pay. There is no organized, consistent process for effectively managing others to maximize profits.
Prioritizing the “critical few” tasks over the “relevant many” is essential for effective business management, preventing wasted resources and negative outcomes like unclear roles, disengaged employees, and overburdened owners.
Adopt the BUSINESSCPR™ Management System to protect your business from failing. It is the surest way to realize your sales, profit, and wealth creation goals.
