Most of us would like to think of ourselves as able to do more. To have a job with more responsibilities. To make more money. To be able to be more of service in the community. In short, to grow…to get ahead in life and in career.

However, in my experience most people are not going to realize any of those things, They haven’t done a very good job in positioning themselves to take advantage of the opportunities that they say they want.

You might be saying, “Wait a minute that doesn’t apply to me. I work my fingers to the bone every day. I’m the one that’s first in the door every morning. I’m the one that’s last to leave it every night. I’m the person is willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done.”

I have been frequently asked about the sequence of phases contained in our Business Mastery diagram. Most begin with the available resources, decide what can be done with them and then take action.

That is a sequence I reject.

Whenever anyone operates in this fashion, they are constrained by their resources.

When most people hear or read an outrageous title like that they immediately think, “it’s too good to be true”. Or, they think it’s some sort of investment scheme.

In truth, I’m certain you know that all people do not get the same results. Some do great and others do extremely terribly. And, it doesn’t seem to have anything at all to do with their innate skills. Instead, it seems to be some combination of good luck and fantastic circumstances.

Sadly, that’s a concept that’s been continually vilified by those that have a sophomoric understanding of real life economics. To these individuals profit making is an evil and exploitative burden placed on the working class by the privileged few.

As a reader of this blog, Friedman’s perspective that profit making is a good, honorable and socially responsible thing to do is likely to resonate with you. And, since you’re in favor of profits let’s take look at why it’s so difficult to have a consistently profitable business enterprise and how to maximize your business going forward.

Why so many businesses fail.

It’s a rare business owner that is truly satisfied with the results they are currently getting. While it is true business cycles have fluctuated for years, times are particularly difficult for most business owners right now.

In response to these difficult times many business owners and managers have been working on cost cutting and other measures to improve the chances of them surviving and/or prospering. It’s a natural response for people to turn inward when faced with these difficulties. I disagree with that.

I say to focus on what you’re currently doing.

Try to get the fat out of all systems. Shorten up all the steps in your processes. Do whatever you can to maximize productivity.

It is easy to see people don’t all get the same results. Some do great while others do awful and everybody else is somewhere in between. The key is not to develop more skills. It is something else.

Sure, people have a variety of skills and it stands to reason those with the most skills will get better results.

Actually, that is not all the story in this case. It helps certainly, but it is not the main reason.

This becomes readily apparent when you remember the 80/20 rule and the Pareto Principle.

In essence, you will expect 80% of your results from 20% of your staff. When you upgrade the average quality of the group from a skill standpoint, the overall productivity goes up. And, the 80/20 rules continues to apply.

I have always believed the philosophy of Ray Kroc, the founder of MacDonald’s, who said, “when you are green you’re growing but when you are ripe you’re starting to rot“. This applies to all things in nature including human beings.

I am not certain of his meaning, but to me it means you have to be a continuous learner. When you are using your mind to process new material, you continue healthy mental growth. On the other hand, when you don’t use your mind, really don’t use brain’s potential, it starts to atrophy and die.

It’s actually a pretty simple concept.

It’s a rare business owner that is truly satisfied with the results they are currently getting. This is the case in both good times and bad. While it is true business cycles have fluctuated for years, times are particularly difficult for most entrepreneurs right now.

In response to these difficult times many business owners and managers have been working on cost cutting and other measures to improve the chances of them surviving and/or prospering. It’s a natural response for people to turn inward when faced with these difficulties.

I agree with that.

Focus on improving what you’re currently doing.

Try to get the fat out of all systems. Shorten up all the steps in your processes. Do whatever you can to maximize productivity.

The steps to improve productivity:

Over the years I’ve discovered that the primary purpose of business is to produce results. Furthermore, it’s a very unusual person who would settle for just any old results. Every business owner wants the best possible outcomes.

I have discovered that in general simple techniques and methods often produce the best outcomes. Nonetheless, I do like to read and reread all the business books in can find, explore new management ideas and techniques and discuss concepts with business and consulting gurus. Frankly, few really stand up to the test of time. Solid basic concepts seem to last, but the new ideas tend to live short lives.

Productivity is a measure of the amount of output one gets for a certain level of input. So, of course considering time as an input you will get more personal productivity if you are good at managing time. But, it’s not the only technique you should be using to increase your own personal productivity.

We are going to be looking at several terrific methods as we progress through this article.

As you read each of the suggestions, make note of the ones you feel can be of the most immediate benefit to you  personally. Then, put them to use and see if you are right.