How to Stop Settling for Subpar Performance and Start Continuously Improving Your Contracting Business

January 26, 2016
Category: Achieve Consistent Business Success,Be a Highly Effective Owner,Build an Accountable, Self-Sufficient Team,Business Tips,Eliminate Problems and Fires

Have you heard about “death by a thousand cuts”? Historically speaking, it’s an ancient form of torture that began in China that lead to a slow, lingering death. I’ll spare you the gory details, but the name “death by a thousand cuts” should tell you all you need to know.

But “death by a thousand cuts” also happens in your business and it can be torture for you and your business too. Every time you settle for less than you really want, you’re inflicting the equivalent of a small cut on your business. And all of those small cuts will lead to a slow and steady decline in your business and to an unhealthy work-life balance.

Do you regularly settle for less in your business?

Here are some questions to help you assess how much settling you’re really doing:

• How many times over the last week have you noticed something at work or away from work that was not the way you want it, but you did nothing to correct or improve it? Each time you’re settling.
• Do you have a long punch list of things in your business that want to improve, but you never seem to get around to them? Settling!
• Are there employees in your business who are underperforming or are exhibiting other bad behaviors, but you let them slide? Be honest, if you could let everyone go and only hire back the ones you want, how many would you bring back? You’re settling here too.
• Do you do other peoples’ work because it is easier than trying to get them
  to do it the way you want them to? Yep, settling!

How did you do? Did you have a long list of places where you settle? Don’t feel bad, most owners do too! Every instance of settling for less than you want has a negative effect on your business and life until one day you will wake up and wonder, “What happened? This isn’t the business or life that I really want? How did things get so far off the rails?”

Your tendency to settle is a major contributing factor!

Why do we settle?

Settling doesn’t make you a bad person or a bad owner. There are lots of reasons why we settle for less than we really want. Reasons that I hear from the owners that I talk to include, “I’m just too busy to correct every problem I see”; “I can’t be demanding with my employees because I’m having trouble getting people and I’m scared that they’ll quit. They’ve got me over a barrel”; I’m just worn down. It’s exhausting trying to keep high standards when no one else seems to care.” I get it! It’s not always easy to hold everyone in your business accountable to delivering to your high standards.

Just to be clear, I’m not advocating that you hold the line on every small incident. You have to pick your battles. The way I think of it, settling is the opposite of continual improvement. Either you’re looking the other way and letting things slide or you’re identifying areas that need improvement and consistently working to make things better. If your tendency to settle is greater than your tendency to continuously improve your business then you’re heading into a downward spiral that will move you further and further from the business and life you really want.

How to swing the balance from continuous settling to continuous improvement?

Here are three things you can do to stop settling and start building the business and life you really want:

1. Create a vision for the business and life that you really want.

Imagine what you really want your business and life to be like. How big do you want it to be? How much profit will you make? What is your ideal job description in your business? What kind of life will you have when all the things you just described are reality?

Be bold and dream a little. Make your vision a stretch and something that you’re excited about. Write it down. Great!

There is huge power in visualizing what you want. The more clearly you can picture it the more you are likely to want it and to make it happen.

2. Assess your business and life today and identify the gaps.

Now, with a clear picture of what you want your business and life to be like, take a look at where you are today compared to where you want to go. Where are the gaps? These are the places that you’re settling. You may have a long list. That’s ok. I just want you to tune in and become aware of all the places where you’re settling for less than you really want.

3. Take action on the areas that will make the biggest impact.

By now, a clearer picture should be developing of where you need to stop settling to create the business and life that you really want. Take all the ideas that you’ve generated and pick the ones that you think will make the biggest difference in helping you reach your vision and work on those first.

Follow-through is critical!

Remember how you eat and elephant? One bite at a time. The same is true here. As you take action on the biggest areas needing improvement and swing the balance from continuous settling to continuous improvement, you will notice your business and life gradually improving and moving closer to your vision. So let’s get going!

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