Top 10 Ways to MISS that Golf, Hunting, Fishing or Ski Trip

By David Boos

Although it is somewhat hard to believe, there ARE people who actually ENJOY taking a little time off from their busy work schedules to do things like golf, hunt, fish, boat, ski, travel or just relax with friends and loved ones. Yet for most business owners and executives this is surely not the case. The peaceful economic climate we are living in today just begs us to take time off, enjoy ‘smelling the roses’ and spend time doing the things we really love to do. However, if you have decided that those trivial pursuits are not worthwhile, then here is a list of 10 “Sure-fire” ways to keep you from having to do any of those petty activities.

10. Keep your current people doing exactly what they are doing. Chances are your processes include many people to get the job done, so managing all the people needed should continue to be a priority. Adding any automation might free up some time, so by all means you should not consider that option.

9. Keep your current order entry process. If your company is like most, order entry is not a simple process. It requires data entry into multiple systems and various people to review and validate the input. By keeping this process, you can miss any outside events and your order entry people won’t have to go either.

8. Keep your current purchasing process. This also requires many fingers doing data entry, as well as “Charlie” who has been the Purchasing Manger for the last 53 years. Charlie knows everything about purchasing, thus everyone needs to keep relying on him so that he doesn’t have to take off any time for fishing.

7. Keep your current inventory tracking method. The staff needs the exercise from going through all of the buildings looking for the products or materials requested. As long as you continue this procedure, the “President’s Physical Fitness Program” of 1956 will still be in effect and your warehouse people won’t have to go on that hunting trip they had planned.

6. Keep your current record-keeping procedures. You can always continue to build new warehouses to store the boxes of paperwork that have accumulated over the years. Office space is cheap, so if the paper gets too high you can always just close the door and move to the office next door.

5. Keep your current customer service process. Good telephone answering skills and customer service departments really set a company apart these days! If there are too many calls for your people to handle, there are lots of people in India who really enjoy those kinds of jobs, and it keeps them from having idle time as well.

4. Keep your current internal communications methods. You can get some really good deals on those brown envelopes with the holes in them and the string ties. Interoffice Memos have worked well for years, so keep supporting Office Depot; they need to keep their people busy looking through their archive warehouses for more envelopes.

3. Keep your current method for communicating with your outside sales force. The fax machine is still a very effective way of getting hand written orders to the corporate accounting office. Granted, the quality of the carbon paper and the salesman’s handwriting do make a difference, but the method has worked fine for years. “Nancy” will be glad she does not have to go skiing because she gets to stay behind and call all the salesmen to clarify their orders.

2. Keep your current management reporting methods. The President does not mind calling Mary, the CFO, to generate 40 or 50 spreadsheets that detail the specific quantity of products sold and overall profitability as compared to the budget. As long as that information is available within the first few months after the request, there should be enough time for a mid-course adjustment. And, working on the corrections should take enough of everyone’s time to keep the President from having to work on his golf swing.

1. Keep your existing software systems. Since you upgraded in 1999, just before the “Y2K” event, those systems should still be working well. Technology doesn’t change very fast, so the features of the existing system should be fine to handle all the challenges of the days ahead. And just think, the “Please Wait” message on your computer screen will give you plenty of time to get out of doing all those “social” things that could consume all your time!

However, IF on the other hand, you ARE one of those people who actually ENJOYS some time away from the office, maybe it is time for a fully comprehensive look at each of the processes and procedures mentioned above. An outside consulting firm who has developed expertise in these disciplines should be able to help streamline the processes, enhance the procedures, engage technology and provide you with solutions that will help you “simplify your life, sell more product, and have more fun.”

About the Author
David M. Boos, CEO of Cornerstone Consulting has almost 40 years of experience in the computer industry. Dave began in 1983 servicing the PC based accounting software market. Cornerstone has since grown from a one-man operation to current operations in Tampa, Florida, Atlanta, Georgia and Los Angeles, California. With added divisions of accounting and E-commerce software sales, custom programming, website design and Internet hosting. Dave is Novell and Microsoft Certified and is an Authorized Dealer for a wide variety of products including Microsoft, Sage and SAP Software. You can reach Dave at www.cornerstone1.com.