As we closed 2023 and are into 2024, I’ve been focused on the mantra “Fix it today. Solve it forever.”
We’re all excited about the new year and new plans. But guess what I can guarantee? Not everything is going to go according to plan. You will face surprises and unexpected challenges.
At Service Express, when unexpected challenges arise, we approach it in two ways. The first step is to identify the problem and fix it for today. Whether with a customer or internally, you need to fix it right away. Then, look at the problem and ask yourself how you got there. As Jim Collins would say, it’s “an autopsy without blame.” Figure out what happened and fix it forever so you keep yourself out of that situation going forward. Build a new process or system.
There are two mistakes I see people make. The first is that they fix it for today, and then they stop. They don’t fix it for forever, which results in them having to run around constantly putting out fires. As things surface, they take care of it. Taking care of things is good, but you want to build it to scale to avoid dealing with it over and over again.
The second mistake I see made is when people take a long-term view of a problem, hoping to fix it forever. In the meantime, the problem festers, causing issues, and you’re not fixing it. While there are consequences to thinking short-term, there are also problems created when you only think long-term.
To avoid these mistakes at Service Express, we fix them today and then solve them forever. Or, fix it today, then build it forever. Whatever your mantra may be, attack problems right away, then figure it out so you never have to deal with that problem again.
Plans will change in 2024; we recognize this at Service Express. Over my 26 years here, we’ve grown our revenue from $3 million to over $300 million globally. We use this approach at Service Express to tackle problems; it’s how we’ve built the company. Tell me how you overcome challenges!
