In my earlier days, one of my past times was playing golf. I would never be confused with Nancy Lopez or Michelle Wie but it was fun and I liked the challenge of trying to improve my game. I took golf clinics and hired a golf pro to improve my game. However, I couldn’t seem to improve my driving distance. I would go to the driving range once or twice a week and practice. I would ask advice from much more skilled golfers. I would complain that I just could not seem to fix the problem.

Then, John from my Staff came into my office and suggested we go to the driving range together and he could maybe give me some pointers. He already had credibility in my head because he had played golf for a large, respected university.

When we arrived, John had me start hitting balls as he watched. I had only hit a third of the basket when he said “I see your problem.” I looked at him with skepticism and said: “you haven’t seen me hit very many balls, how can you already know?” He smiled and said, “let’s just try what I am suggesting. Take your hands and move them 1/4 of inch on the club.” I looked at him with frustration. “That can’t make a difference,” I complained. “Just try it,” he responded.

I moved my hands on the club 1/4 inch and hit the ball. It sailed twice as far as I normally hit it. I looked at John in amazement. “Hit another one,” he said; I did. I kept hitting the ball with my hands only 1/4 inch from where I usually had them on the clubs, and the ball soared consistently twice as far as I had ever hit one before.

I was awestruck. How could only ¼ of inch make such a difference? But it did.

So what are the lessons learned:

1. I knew I had a problem but I had no idea how to solve it
2. I needed an Expert that could diagnosis and resolve the problem.
3. It didn’t take much, but boy what a difference.

What does this have to do with My COO Resources….

1. Many Companies have operational challenges that they just do not know how to fix. What is worse, these challenges could result in unhappy Customers, delays in delivering your product or service, too many errors, and wanting to grow but unsure what needs to do to allow this, etc.
2. You know you need help but are unsure where to get it – like my experience with golf, I needed an Expert to help me resolve my issue
3. It often doesn’t take much – just some commitment to trying something new and then making it happen

My COO Resources was designed based on 20+ years of operational experience. It will identify the operational issues, provide proven expertise, and with just a little effort, get you on the road to improvement. Get started today by registering at www.mycooresources.com.

By the way, this makes me want to take up golf again. Enjoy!

Questions? Don’t hesitate to contact me at CharleneA@mycooresources.com. And check out our blogs and previous newsletters and/or emails at http://www.mycooresources.com/?page_id=324

– Charlene Aldridge
CharleneA@mycooresources.com