As I write this it has started raining. Which it hasn’t done much of before this week. (You may beg to differ but I haven’t got wet walking the dog very often which is my reference point).
And this got me thinking: Americans seem to think it rains all the time over here, and according to the statistics they’d be right. It does rain more in the UK than in the continental USA. However, if you look at a maps of population density and rainfall for the two countries something interesting pops out. Apart from California, in the states the high rainfall matches the high population densities whereas over here it’s the opposite. Essentially highest rainfall in the USA is on the eastern seaboard (New York, Miami, basically where almost everyone lives); this side of the pond it’s in the hills and mountains of Scotland, Wales and Northern England, which are fairly unpopulated (except in the tourist season).
This still doesn’t explain why they think it’s always raining here, but it did provide me with a bit of a diversion, and this highlights two very important points:
Firstly, I like numbers, so if you don’t (and I’ve said this before), I am here to help.
Secondly, before you start looking at your numbers it’s important to make sure you are looking at the right ones. There is a saying that what gets measured gets managed, but if you are measuring the wrong thing you will waste time trying to manage it. This goes back to last week’s blog about efficient and effective use of your resources. Jumping in at the deep end is rarely a good strategy. Better to take the time to find out what makes your business tick first. Then come up with some figures that you can use to measure your performance.
And don’t forget that success isn’t always measured in pounds and pence. Make sure you include ALL the important numbers, like staff happiness and customer contentment. Taking care of these will probably have an even bigger effect on your business than looking after any financial ratio or formula ever will. Just ask United Airlines.
Have a great week
Paul