Have you ever worn a “one size fits all” garment? Perhaps you have and know from personal experience that they do not really “fit” all. Or perhaps you have avoided such garments all together because you knew they would not provide the kind of fit you prefer. For some individuals such garments merely hang on them with what seems to be yards of excess fabric, making the occupant look lost. For others such garments are too tight and do not provide adequate room for movement. I assume this is why some have modified these tags to say “one size fits most.”

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Have you ever been lost or unsure of which direction to take? In today's technologically savvy world, we are less likely to find ourselves in this situation. We have cellular phones on which we can call and ask for directions or log on to the Internet and look up our destination on a map. Many vehicles are now equipped with a Global Positioning System (GPS) that takes the guesswork out of finding our destination. We simply enter the address of the place we want to go and follow the verbal prompts of the computer. If we fail to obey the prompts, the system will announce "recalculating" and begin to give us new directions. The only way it could get any easier is if the GPS would drive the vehicle for us.

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Most of us do not take our temperature on a regular basis and in fact, some people never take their temperature. Why would we? We just assume that if we are feeling fine that our temperature must be within the normal range. Although we may not feel the need to monitor our temperature, it is one of the first measurements taken during a visit to the doctor. Why? Because an abnormal reading is a quick indicator that something is wrong. This is true for humans and for their pets. Recently, for example, I noticed some changes in my cat. First, she lost some weight. This seemed like a good thing to me since, like many indoor cats, she was overweight anyway. Then I began to notice she was meowing more loudly and frequently. Well, she has always seemed fond of the sound of her own voice so… But then she lost more weight and our family decided a trip to the veterinarian was a good idea.

What do you think was the first thing the doctor’s office did to my cat? That’s right, they took her temperature. Immediately they knew something was wrong as it was quite a bit higher than normal for a cat. The doctor soon discovered that my cat had an infection.

At this point you may be wondering “what does this have to do with my company?” A lot. Just like I want my pet to be healthy, we all want our companies to be healthy. But in determining whether our companies are healthy we don’t always gather enough information or focus on the right information. I initially made this mistake with my cat. I thought, “She doesn’t act sick.” She was still grooming herself and demanding a lot of attention. But I was focusing on the wrong information. I did not take notice of the fact that she was shedding a lot more than usual, for example. In like fashion, we may focus on our companies profits for the last three or four quarters but not look at other indicators of business health. Peter F. Drucker, in his book Management Challenges for the 21st Century, stated that success “comes to those who know themselves - their strengths, their values, and how they best perform.” This is true for both individuals and companies.