In order to find results, the incorporation of dashboards to measure and visualize key areas, evaluate situations and make quick and effective decisions is essential.
It is common to find businessmen and entrepreneurs who when asked the specific question of “what is your sales objective?”, the answer is “sell as much as possible.”
And given this type of response, in my mind I imagine a marathon runner starting from the starting point, but without having a specific arrival point, trying to run “as much as possible.”
And how difficult that situation would be!
The same thing happens within organizations: “Sell as much as possible.”
How much is a lot? How much is enough? How much is a little?
Like the marathon runner who needs a specific finishing point, setting clear and well-defined objectives for the company, regardless of its size and structure, is essential. That is why it is essential, first of all, to be clear about where we are, how far we want to go and in how much time. Depending on the answer to these questions, we can take the appropriate steps in that direction.
It is also of utmost importance that this growth can be measured appropriately; That is, there are quantifiable parameters that act as sensors of the company's results, without which we will not be able to know if we are going in the right direction.
Likewise, measurable objectives and specific parameters are clearly a motivating factor towards which both the entrepreneur and his team of collaborators must specifically focus their efforts, as long as they are specific, achievable, viable and concrete goals within a certain period.
Sometimes it is convenient to establish a long-term objective and set intermediate, more limited and staggered goals on the way to the definitive objective, allowing this system to make the necessary adjustments or modifications in pursuit of a better final result.
Step by Step
But how to establish objectives within a veterinary center? What can be measured?
When we talk about measurements and objectives, the first things that usually come to mind are factors such as profitability, expenses and billing; That is, parameters that we are used to observing and analyzing numerically. However, the truth is that almost all aspects could be feasible for measurement and objectives could be established based on each of them.
The challenge is to find these parameters even in aspects that are apparently soft. For example, effort, motivation and commitment are not measurable in the traditional form of measurement, that is, they cannot be measured quantitatively, but they can be measured through their impact on the results obtained over time.
An example of the great usefulness of these indicators is that they can show us the diverse development of sellers. It can be measured and analyzed for each seller: monthly billing volume, average ticket, number of total items sold; In short, all the data that may be of interest to understand the profile of each salesperson. This allows us to understand how diversely we should motivate or train each type of salesperson.
Goals that motivate
The motivation of the work group is a very important factor, since it directly translates into the energy and effort applied towards achieving the company's objectives. The objectives must represent a challenge and an innovation and should be linked to an incentive system, to encourage the enthusiasm and commitment of team members.
In addition to the importance of establishing concrete and perfectly viable goals, it is essential that they be communicated clearly and aimed at aligning the efforts of each and every member of the group.
Internal communication must be clear and fluid with a precise assignment of responsibilities and must also be carried out periodically, to keep everyone properly informed.
Not only is it important to communicate the objectives to be met and the strategies to follow, but it is also key to transmit and share the achievements that are being achieved and both personal and group recognition, thus maintaining the sustained motivation of the team.
Recognition of the task performed, the feeling that one is improving and the fact of being listened to are values that tend to align personal objectives with the objectives of the organization, inevitably achieving better results for the company.
It would also be important to strengthen the role of group members, exercising less control over their specific activities and granting them more freedoms. This is achieved by transitioning from task control to objective control, which consists of a process by which the company's principal and subordinates identify common objectives, define responsibilities, and use those objectives as guides for the company's operation.
Effective delegation
The feeling of “no one does things the way I do them within the organization” or “it is easier for me to do things directly than to teach someone else” is very common and this truncates the possibility of achieving effective delegation.
But it is important that, once the objectives and goals to be achieved have been clearly established, effective delegation can be achieved within the organization. As we already mentioned, this fundamental step is not always easy for various reasons.
Not finding the right person to place new responsibilities on, not having time to train them, citing financial problems to hire someone to do it. In short, all kinds of barriers or excuses that necessarily delay the possibility of professionalization and growth of the company.
Effective delegation is nothing more than allowing and facilitating the person or people who run a company, the possibility of being able to concentrate on activities that, in general due to lack of material time, are left unattended and postponed.
It is vitally important for the professionalization of organizations, regardless of their size, to allow their leaders to transition from carrying out operational tasks to dedicating their time to strategic definitions. The generation of new businesses, the design of appropriate marketing strategies, the control of projects in execution and the study and evaluation of new projects are some examples of actions that cannot be undertaken by entrepreneurs, due to an overload of operational tasks that could undoubtedly be delegated.
Along with a clear definition of the objectives, it is essential to be able to easily and efficiently monitor the situation and progress of the different sectors of the company, through appropriate management control boards and KPIs (Key Performance Indicators). These dashboards allow you to measure and visualize key areas, evaluate situations and make quick and effective decisions, such as in the case of detecting maneuvers or actions that could go against the outlined objectives. We can mention as examples for a veterinary center the profitability trend, the fluctuation in the frequency of customer purchases, margin by type of product/service, etc.
Many times the anxiety of entrepreneurs leads them to want to immediately improve work processes, but doing so as an independent action makes no sense if adequate dashboards are not implemented that allow control and monitoring of operation and ensure their continuity over time. These dashboards will not only allow constant management monitoring, but will also facilitate an immediate diagnosis of irregular situations and the rapid application of the corresponding corrective measures.
At the same time, it is essential to leave a record of these activities, so that the actions applied last over time.
As we have seen, there are many alternatives to improve the management of a company, regardless of its size. It is simply a matter of making the decision and putting them into practice.
