A Business Miracle Cure: Identifying Your Big Missing

This week’s story by executive consultant and brand strategist, Rick Barrera asks us to consider Identifying Your Big Missing in business. No folks, we did not turn into a mystery short story publisher! Identifying Your Big Missing refers to that thing, that if your organization had it, would help you become almost instantly more profitable and productive. Importantly, Identifying Your Big Missing is only the beginning. Your organization’s principle challenge lays in its implementation. Discover Rick’s tips on how Identifying Your Big Missing translates into sustained success.

A Business Miracle Cure: Identifying Your Big Missing

by Rick Barrera

As a consultant, I often have conversations with CEO’s and other leaders who share with me what I like to call “The Big Missing.” They will describe in detail something that they feel is essential that just is not happening in their organization, and then tell me how important it is that this thing happens regularly and consistently in order to grow the company. They go on to paint a picture of the enormous impact it would have if they could just get their arms around this one project, task or role. Then, I ask the obvious question, “Whose job is it to get up every morning and make that happen?” That is when the stumbling and the mumbling starts. They talk about departments or divisions or say that it is ultimately their responsibility to get it done or that it has been assigned to someone who already has a full-time job doing something else. Sometimes they tell me that it is “everyone’s responsibility.” Bingo! We have found the problem! If you want to move your project or company forward, you have got to first identify “The Big Missing,” and then you have got to assign that job to someone and make it their priority. I would love to say that you need to make it their sole priority. That would be ideal, but that is not always realistic. In any case, it must be their #1 priority and their compensation needs to be aligned with success if it already is not. In other words, they need to get up every morning and focus on that task or project first. When they are giving it their best effort first thing every morning, and sustaining that effort throughout the day, week, month and year, the boulder, no matter how large, will begin to move. Identifying Your Big Missing will no longer be the case. They will either have success or they will discover where they or the organization is stuck and they will have “a learning.” Once the momentum has shifted, the project will get easier for them and for the organization. Then it might be possible to put them on it part-time or hand it off to someone else or give it to “the team,” now that the process is in place. Of course, if it truly is The Big Missing, then they are probably driving revenues, margins, profits or customer delight and you may want them to redouble their efforts for even greater benefits. If they have been able to open new markets or launch a new product, it may be time to add even more team members to the role. In any case, the logjam has been broken and Identifying Your Big Missing is no longer the challenge. It is time to identify the next Big Missing and find a leader who can fill that void. The critical question is always “Whose job is it to make that happen?” So, what is your Big Missing?

Rick Barrera is the author of six books on leadership, sales, marketing, branding and customer service. He is a sought after professional speaker and consultant to the Fortune 500 and many smaller companies. He helps his clients accelerate revenue growth and position themselves for the future. You can reach Rick at [email protected]