Listening to my favorite podcasters review the Super Bowl, the guys kept returning to the theme, "Fortune favors the bold." Certainly New Orleans was more bold; first by going for it on fourth and one at the goal line and later by starting the second half with an onside kick.
Apparently the expression goes back a long way; it's been part of recorded history for more than 2200 years. My guess is that goes back a lot farther than that. By "fortune" I think we mean the luck that seems to permeate so much of our lives. And luck does come into play when two very equally matched opponents compete with each other. Both New Orleans and Indianapolis had top-notch quarterbacks, a host of excellent receivers, good running backs, and opportunistic defenses. When both teams are that good and execute so well the outcome of the game can often come down to a "lucky" break.
As component manufacturers we compete with companies that have many of the same competencies we do. They build a good truss, they take care of customers, they have competent designers. Like a good football team, we can work on every department within our company make it as good as it can be; we’re never done with that process. Still, there may be times that the boldness of our decisions as companies, as departments, and as individuals will make the difference between winning and losing.
By definition, acting boldly requires a certain amount of discomfort. Will it work? What will they say? Doubts can creep in, causing us to keep doing what we've always been doing. Bold action is by no means the same as irresponsible action. Sean Payton, the coach of the New Orleans Saints, did a lot of thinking and preparation prior to taking the risks that he did during the Super Bowl. His study of his own team and the Indianapolis Colts told him that without taking some risks his chance of winning the game were perhaps no more than 50-50.
So what steps should we take? It might mean talking with our customers in a way that we have never done in the past. It may mean revealing more about ourselves, our businesses, and our objectives. Who knows? Perhaps our customers (or at least some of them) will respond in kind. In the current environment, many people are looking for opportunities to work more closely, and share some of their problems.
It may mean attempting to measure designer productivity for the first time. We universally recognize the value in measuring our production totals - and even comparing one production line with another. But when it comes to designers, many of us are reluctant to ‘put numbers’ to their contribution. Evaluating a table by board feet produced alone (without any understanding of the type of work that was done) would be misleading at best. Similarly with designers, using just one yardstick to measure designer productivity could well lead to unintended and undesirable results. A good manager knows the difference between measuring and judging. Measurements are done to help you understand, not be misconstrued as understanding. In highly technical work there are a lot of variables; a manager mixes all of the measurements together with personal observations to come up with the overall evaluation. The fact that there is the potential to misuse measurements is no reason to not measure.
It may mean seeking out an alliance with another component manufacturer, perhaps on the edge of your current delivery area, or perhaps on the other side of the country. It may mean figuring out a way to completely eliminate all paper from your production floor. It might mean challenging yourself to find a way to produce the same amount you currently do - with three less people. How about freshening up the company logo?
Consider acting boldly. Think where the Saints would be without it.