- High maturity businesses are usually successful
- 4 elements of maturity
- Be balanced in your analysis of challenges
What does maturity look like?
- When my son is behaving in a mature fashion, he sees the world as it is, with not only good and bad but shades of gray as well. He has some balance.
- When his Mom finds his pants on the floor and mentions it to him, he picks them up. He accepts the responsibility for things he can and should control.
- When he has both work and play to accomplish, he evaluates both, makes reasonable time estimates and then acts accordingly. He deals with the reality of the situation.
- Finally, when he has both work and play to accomplish, he schedules the work before the play. He has learned the benefits of delayed gratification and the false and fleeting feelings of instant gratification.
The Four Elements of Maturity
- Balancing
- Acceptance of responsibility
- Acceptance of reality
- Avoidance of instant gratification
How does your company measure up?
Is it balanced? For example, does management have a “balanced scorecard” as they measure the company success -- and your success? Do they measure not only bottom-line financials but also give equal attention to safety, quality, delivery and morale?
If all they really pay attention to are the bottom-line financials, then they are not balanced.
Also, do they have a balanced approach to all the constituencies that make up the business? Do they give equal attention to the employees, customers and stockholders? Or is their only interest the monthly dividend?
Does management have a healthy acceptance of responsibility? Or when a customer return comes back, is the finger pointed at the “crazy customer” with the unrealistic demands? When something goes wrong with the process, does management accept that this is “their process,” or do they look for the nearest scapegoat to blame? Are the problems accepted as “system problems” requiring the attention of management, or is the mantra, “This used to work, now why can’t these morons just make sure we only ship the good stuff?”?
Do company leaders have a healthy acceptance of reality? When profits wane and customers migrate to different suppliers, does management blame the economy, new government regulations and other things “out there”? Or do they see the changes that are occurring in the world and adapt the business to stay competitive? Do they continually study and learn about how to become the supplier of choice by ever-improving the quality, delivery and cost of your products? Are they fully aware of the strengths and weaknesses of their competition and dispassionately evaluate their strengths and weaknesses? Do they get involved in associations and outside groups to stay abreast of the rapidly changing world, or do they yearn for the good old days? Exactly how insular are they?
When they ask for the status on any topic and they get an “it’s going just fine,” how often do they ask the clarifying questions of “How do you know?” and “What data support that?” Does it appear that they really want to uncover the problems? Or would they rather not have to deal with them? Do they send a message of “I want only good news”? Do they metaphorically behead the messengers who bring bad news? Are they willing to let others experiment, knowing this can lead to setbacks and failed experiments? Or do they deride any negative information, even if a lot was learned that will be a benefit in the long run?
