Just a few short years ago I purchased a new home with a larger yard than we previously cared for. We were just getting settled in when I noticed that the grass in the yard didn’t appear nearly as green the second spring. I didn’t think a lot about it, but as August came and the seasonal dry spell hit, I noticed things started going south quickly. We had large patches of the lawn that were completely overtaken by what looked like weeds.
A year later, I hit it with the standard weed and feed store treatments. There was a quick burst of green, followed by steady degradation. I hit it again and had the same result.
By the end of last fall, with neighbors glaring at the bald spots, I finally asked around until I found the best lawn person in our area. He came out and did a thorough look at what we had.
During his visit, he did a deep dive diagnosis and discovered we had a major infestation of crabgrass. To make things even trickier, we had grubs that had spread around the whole yard. There was no easy or inexpensive fix.
He drew up a clear plan that had us using a two-path recovery approach that aimed to improve the good grass and suppress the grubs and crabgrass. The first step was a massive reseed operation; he put hundreds of pounds of seed down after having deeply cored and slit the ground. He also used a complex cocktail of fertilizer and inhibitor that would kill the crabgrass without affecting the new grass seed. Grubs were a second problem that needed their own treatment.
The third leg of the stool was water – and lots of it. We put in a temporary automated sprinkling system. It now runs sequentially and daily, keeping the fresh new seedlings growing well.
The result? To date, our lawn looks outstanding. The once bare spots are lush, and the crabgrass has yet to make a showing. Grubs – so far do good.
How This Applies to Business
The parallels to working in business are many. But for now, let’s talk about two.
#1: The seeds of mediocrity are already sown into every firm – all it takes is a shift in leadership and control to release them.
When we moved in, the crabgrass had been deepening its position for years – and the Band-Aid treatments that had been used in the past have made it even more persistent. A similar thing happens in business, with issues spreading very effectively. Over time, this leads to things like mediocre quality, excess inventory, weak customer knowledge and lax financial practices.
Once these seeds take root, it takes a high-quality objective diagnosis and a clear plan to turn the tide. I took the time to find someone who had done turnarounds before and had a precise pathway to a solution.
The reason you need someone who has been there is that it’s going to take significant time and effort to change the direction of the momentum, and you don’t want to put your effort into a plan that takes you only half way.
The danger in working with the wrong resource is two fold: efficiency and efficacy. The right resource will get you where you want to go with just the right amount of time, money and resources. Secondly, they know what it takes to get to a solution – and not to leave you in the “half solved” position.
#2: It takes persistence to deal with the real problems of business.
Just as my recipe for improvement needed water, frequent treatments and care, business issues need similar coordinated long-lived selective action. The reason for this is that there are always secondary actors present (like the grubs) that are positioned to derail efforts and declare victory too soon.
When dealing with the deep work of a firm’s people processes and technology, it takes a minimum follow through of six months of real results and follow through to be sure the new behaviors are locked in place. Human beings are pattern making machines, and while it may appear that all is well, I’ve spoken with client after client who underestimated what it took to work through the resistance.
So while my lawn is in remission, I know I’ll always need a plan and consistent small investments to stay on top of the underlying issues. The same applies to business, as well.
A couple of starter questions to get you thinking about how this applies to your firm: Where are you with your business goals? Is your intuition telling you that there are underlying players who are subtly moving you the wrong way?
The path forward starts with a call. Please give me a call at 847-651-1014, or set up a 20-minute chat using this link.
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