Look at Your Business With Fresh Eyes!
Look at your business with Fresh Eyes! – Early in my career, I was recruited to be the Corporate Controller for a large public company in Philadelphia. Two weeks after I started my job, the company also hired a new President. In my first meeting with the President, he shared a story with me that I still remember today like it was told to me yesterday. I have shared the same story many times with clients because I think the message is valuable to everyone.
Always have “Fresh Eyes, and question everything because it is the right thing to do!”
The new President walked into my office to meet me for the first time. We shook hands, introduced ourselves to each other, and had an enjoyable initial conversation. During our first meeting, he told me that it was important that I always keep “Fresh Eyes.”
He saw the puzzled look on my face; I did not understand what he meant. He stood up and asked me to follow him. We walked out of my office into the hallway, then turned around and went back into my office. He asked me what did I see in the hallway? I said that I saw my assistant, her desk, and the rest was pretty quiet. He stood back up and asked me to follow him again back into the hallway. There were three unopened cardboard boxes of office supplies stacked up in the corner. He asked me what was in the boxes. I said office supplies. He asked me if that was where the company stored the office supplies. The answer to his question was no.
A good executive always can look at every business situation using “Fresh Eyes!”
Look at Your Business With Fresh Eyes!
We went back into my office. The President said; “Bob, you have walked past those boxes so many times that you do not even see them now. After you walk past a problem several times, it mentally disappears unless you maintain Fresh Eyes. If you now walk past those boxes again and not move them to where they belong, then you do not have Fresh Eyes. If this company does not have a Corporate Controller with Fresh Eyes, there soon will be a new employee sitting in this office.”
It was crystal clear to me that he was not only talking about the boxes of offices supplies. His message was that I should question everything that I suspect may be a problem. I should never keep walking past a problem to the point that it disappears.
I have made a career out of fixing issues for business owners who have walked past their problems so many times that they do not see the problems anymore.
My name is Robert Curry, and I am an Author, CEO Coach, Keynote Speaker, and Turnaround Specialist. Over the past 20 years, I have worked with more than 70 companies taking their businesses from Loses to Profits.
Please click on the links below to read my other articles like Look at Your Business With Fresh Eyes!
Dealing with Unproductive Employees!
Never Give Company Credit Cards to Your Employees.
I have recently published two books about turnarounds: “From Red to Black – A Business Turnaround” and “The Turnaround.” Both books are true stories about turnarounds of real companies that I have turned around during my career. In both books, I have shared all my Profit Improvement Recommendations (“PIR’s”). PIR’s helped to grow sales, reduce expenses, improve cash flow, and most importantly, strengthen the management teams.
If the information in this article Look at Your Business With Fresh Eyes! helps you, your family or a business associate, please email me at bob@ceorsc.com and please share the story with me.
If you would like to purchase either or both books autographed by the author, please click on the following link: Losses to Profits Series.
“The Turnaround” and “From Red to Black“
