What Is Your Reason?

I recently reread an old book from my personal library, entitled The Goal, written by Eli Goldratt & Jeff Cox in 1992. I read this 34 years ago, and, assuming you can still find a copy, I would highly recommend it.

Essentially, it is a novel with a great story that revolves around a corporate turnaround, one where the players initiate a change of strategy previously characterized by poor planning, numerous bottlenecks in the manufacturing process and consistently late deliveries.

As you might expect, based upon the title, the managers in this process had a two-fold mission to improve their delivery of product, but also set higher goals by challenging prior assumptions. I know. This is basic “corporate blasphemy,” but “challenging the system” is what I’m well known for. Frankly, it has served me very well.

Getting back to The Goal, it has some very solid lessons for us. Foremost, we need to take old assumptions at face value and consider that there are other ways to achieve new goals and accomplishments. One of my favorite parts in the book included a complete challenge to management on their thinking.

To put this into perspective, I had a recent meeting with a Client who was considering the completion of a new Bed-Pack Barn for their dairy herd. It would give them a boost in their operation by getting the rest of their herd out of muddy lots in the winter & hot sun in the summer.

They run a great operation with milk production/cow/day consistently in the 80-85 lb range. Unfortunately, the managing partners are sometimes dissuaded by well-meaning family members from making investments in their business that are proactive.

They asked if I felt they should complete this process, especially considering that the cost is being funded mostly by government money. I stated, using a section on page 150 of the book, that there are only two reasons not to complete it.

If there was no market for their product. This is not the case for them or the Cooperative they sell milk to.
If they are determined not to change anything in their operation for the better. I don’t believe that’s the case. If so, I probably cannot help them succeed…

Consider the pluses of this change. First, their business would improve from higher milk per cow. Additionally, their banker should be happy as the appraised value of the facility increases with no added leverage from more debt, decreasing their Loan to Value %. Even animal welfare advocates should be happy, given the improved conditions for their cows.

While the completion of this project is pending, I believe this would be a positive step forward. Are you facing a similar dilemma? As you think your hurdles through, please consider the positives & the potential downsides, but do move forward. What reason do you have not to accept the challenge to succeed?

“Change can be tough. But the only alternative is eventual obsolescence.”

Michael Hyatt

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