Last week we were working on a project that required several different pieces of equipment. When it came time to use one particular piece, we realized that we had lost the key. For the rest of the afternoon we searched and even delayed the project until the next morning when a spare was supposed to arrive. The next morning the spare never showed. Once we were totally out of options on the original plan, we started thinking about alternatives. Within 10 minutes, we devised a new plan with a different piece of equipment that ended up working twice as well as the original. After reflecting on that experience, I am thankful that our original plan did not work because it led us to find a better way.
How many other areas of the business could be better if the current method were to be challenged in a similar fashion? This is exactly why Good is the enemy of Great. Just because something is working well, doesn’t mean that it couldn’t be better if properly challenged. We are going to take what we learned from this experience, and use it to methodically challenge every piece of the business to make sure that we are constantly searching for the best way. The same principles can be applied on a personal level.
Think about what areas of your business and your life could be challenged in order to create a better way. Don’t wait until change is necessary, create necessity in order to drive innovation.