Many of you golf. Some do it for fun and simply keep score because that’s part of the game. Others are more serious, competing with themselves. Did I get around the course in fewer shots than last time? Continuous improvement is important to these folks.
And then there are the pros. They not only are committed to continuous improvement of their own game; they continually benchmark themselves against the very best. They know who can drive best, who can putt best, and they know the best at every other aspect of the game. That’s called benchmarking.
Businesses are the same way.
Some figure as long as they keep their nose to the grindstone and turn a reasonable profit, they’re okay. Sounds like a hobby.
Some focus on continuous improvement, making sure they are better today than they were yesterday. Absolutely going the right direction, but with no concept of how they compare to the competition. Sounds like a serious hobby.
And then there are the companies that work to get better than the competition every day. They know the weaknesses that cost them the most, the strengths that help them overcome poor performance in other areas. They can distinguish a “hail mary” success from a repeatable one. They know how they stack up against the competition, and against the very best, piece by piece as well as in total. Sounds like a profession.
Whether you golf, ski, bike, run or garden for fun outside the office, make sure that inside it you run your business like a pro.