FranklinCovey Blog | Uncertainty

What gets in the way of change?

Monday, August 17th, 2009 | Transformational Change | 2 Comments

Greetings,  great ones.  Have you every wondered what really gets in the way of people changing and improving their own lives?  Most New Years resolutions end in failure; close to 90% of the goals we set fail by the end of the year.  What gets in the way our good intentions? Well an understanding of why most people resist change can help us all change. 

Over the years I have discovered 5 key barriers that keep us from making the progress we want to make. 

1.   Fear of the unknown and general uncertainty:

At times we allow ourselves to lock-up with fear and become paralyzed with uncertainty. Because change is happening so rapidly we fear the potential negative effects of what is going on around us. 

Fear and worrying about things we cannot control, will waste much of our energy.  We will never regret putting our energy where our biggest leverage points are in our life, and focusing on the things that we can control instead of those we cannot. › Continue reading

Tags: Ack, Better Future, Change, Color Culture, Control, Dangerous Place, Economic Status, Failure, Fear Of The Unknown, Goals, Good Intentions, Greetings, Legacy, Leverage Points, Living In The Comfort Zone, New Years Resolutions, People, Reason, Sam Bracken, Talents, Term Goals, Uncertainty, Vision

Simplification Reduces Uncertainty

Tuesday, August 11th, 2009 | Predictable Results in Unpredictable Times | 1 Comment

On July 11, Apple celebrated the first anniversary of the App Store. One year and more than 1 billion downloads later, the App Store has revolutionized the software market and chalked up a wildly successful year in the middle of one of the deepest downturns in business history. 

They did this by applying a key principle from Predictable Results in Unpredictable Times: focusing simply on the job real customers want done. Clearly, the App Store is successful because it allows customers to get exactly what they want immediately and in a simple and inexpensive way. As we said in the book, “Simplification reduces uncertainty. You can get more predictable results if you focus on simple, high-value offerings for the customer.”

Is the App Store simple? Absolutely.  Search the catalog for what you want, and buy with one click. 

Is the App Store “high-value”? Absolutely. You get low-cost applications that solve such pesky everyday problems as remembering your schedule, counting calories, and checking the weather, as well as giving you instant access to your favorite music.

We agree with the comment from Domonic on our previous post, who contributed this insight:  “One of the biggest challenges I see is that people are focused more on what they have to offer than really identifying the needs of the market. They are telling the market what it needs instead of listening to clients and letting them identify what the true need is.”  So true.

So many organizations just don’t get it. They are, as Domonic says, focused inwardly on what they have to offer while deluding themselves that they are customer focused. In crazy, unpredictable times, customers are very careful, but they do know a good deal when they see it.

If the App Store can solve one of my problems right now and for 99 cents, I’ll buy. And, it so happens, so will a billion other people. 

So what are you doing to focus more on your customers in these wild times? Is it paying off for you?  We’d love to hear.

Check out videos and tools from the book Predictable Results in Unpredictable Times 

Tags: Bob Whitman, Breck England, Business History, Challenges, Counting Calories, Everyday Problems, Insight, Instant Access, Offerings, Predictable Results, Predictable Results in Unpredictable Times, Principle, Simplification, Stephen Covey, True Need, Uncertainty, Unpredictable Times

Predictable Results in Unpredictable Times

Tuesday, August 4th, 2009 | Predictable Results in Unpredictable Times | 13 Comments

If there’s one thing that’s certain in the business world, it’s uncertainty.

Who would have thought a couple of years ago that giant corporations would be toppling overnight? That gas prices would rise sky high and then collapse again within a few days?  That the economic boom would implode into the worst recession in 50 years?

But even in unpredictable times like these, some companies still perform with excellence. How do they do it? What principles do they follow? This blog is a place where we will discuss exactly that. It is a place where we can share insights and successes.

The book Predictable Results in Unpredictable Times, a new book by Stephen R. Covey and Bob Whitman, chairman of FranklinCovey, captures four key principles for getting great performance in good times and bad.

First, winning companies slim down to a few key simple goals with clear targets and careful follow-through. Everybody in the firm knows the goals and what to do about them. › Continue reading

Tags: Anxiety, Array, Bob Whitman, Business World, Commitments, Economic Boom, Franklincovey, Gas Prices, Giant Corporations, Good Times, Mantra, Predictable Results, Recession, Stephen R Covey, Successes, Tough Times, Trustworthy Companies, Turbulence, Uncertainty, Unpredictable Times, Winning Companies