Here’s why you should take time out to reflect

Ask yourself: what is the essence I want my work to be. Is it simply a vehicle to make the most money possible? Or is it a means to provide the best product solutions at the best possible price.

If you are ill and need an operation, would you rather the knife be in the hand of a surgeon whose major motivation was business and making money, or one whose motivation was loving, caring and helping people to recover? Obviously the latter. Would you rather have your home decorated by someone who saw it as an easy way to earn a buck, or by someone who loved the creativity of colour, texture and creating ambience? Obviously the latter again.

No matter how important or significant your work may be to yourself or others it is important to check your motivations and intentions from time to time. Should you become successful it is so easy to let your guard down and let greed take over. What started out as a business to serve the community could turn into a vehicle to chase profits at the expense of others. Therefor it becomes vital that we take time out to reflect on our motives and intentions as often as possible. Usually every quarter when we do our business review.

We then ask ourselves what is the essence I want my work to be. Is it simply a vehicle to make the most money possible? Or is it a means to provide the best product solutions at the best possible price. Do you have your clients interest at heart or do they end up feeling that you have ripped them off and you have not lived up to your promises.

Do the banks, pharmaceutical, insurance and oil companies really have the consumers best interest at heart or do you get the feeling that they are simply chasing profits motivated by their greed. We all have our own opinions and different views regarding different industries.

Gentle reader, in the same way as we may feel cheated at times by large corporations from time to time, we must not fall into the trap of allowing our clients also to feel that they have been cheated. We have to evaluate our motives and honestly ask ourselves if we live up to our promises.

We as entrepreneurs must put feedback mechanisms in place to ensure we get honest feedback from our clients about our service. Evaluation forms can sometimes be unreliable and impersonal. Simply ask you clients directly how they have experienced your product/service and ask them if they would give you a referral. If they are reluctant to give referrals then that is a sure sign that you need to evaluate yourself. You might have let the little things slip.

It is my personal belief that most companies fail not because there is anything wrong with their product but because the owner, management or staff have slipped up and lost customer focus. They have forgotton to take time out and evaluate their motives for being in business in the first place.

Self-interest and greed has most likely taken over from what once was passion and true customer-care. Belief in the quality of your products and love for the clients you serve, should constantly be the energy and driving force for showing up at work every day.