Pulling The Thread

If you want to destroy my sweater, hold this thread as I walk away."― Weezer.

I'm just back from Atlanta where the marketing department was holed up in meetings for three days. Sheesh, we sure can talk.

Of course, some of the topics were run of the mill planning sort of stuff, like which show features will be on the floor in September, where they will be located, and how we'll promote them. Yeah, it's never too early to plan.

But much of the time was spent on process―how we do things and why. If you've kept up with this infrequent blog you know that I'm a believer of re-examining things from a fresh perspective. I'm also an advocate―to steal a line from veteran industry analyst Jeff Harbaugh--of starting with the end in mind.

So much of what we do each day is routine and rote. We get out of bed, hit the bathroom, brush our teeth, make the coffee―you know. It's only when we really analyze each step of each decision along the way that the almost overwhelming complexity of the mundane becomes clear. It's a thread that once you start to pull never seems to end.

It's time consuming and dull and exacting, but incredibly worthwhile. Without really analyzing the process behind our actions--the rote and routine we all fall victim to―making change is tough. And that's what "process week" was all about.

So take a few moments to examine your business and break down its component parts. Create a checklist or flowchart of how you do things like merchandising, invoice tracking, ordering, database management, even cleaning the front window. Like us, it's likely you'll find a host of ways, both large and small, to enhance your business. And, don't look now, you'll also be creating a best-practices handbook that your employees will appreciate; one that should make training far simpler. Then ask for feedback, reassess and re-write―the process of process never ends and there's always room for improvement.