Production & Delivery Resources

Matrix Key:  Financial Viability - Production and Delivery - Resources

"The waste of plenty is the resource of scarcity." - Thomas Love Peacock

It should be no secret to business owners that in these challenging economic times, managing resources well is essential to being profitable.  In the Financial Viability quadrant of the WholeLife Matrix, we dig into resources management as part of a successful production and delivery system.  The first question to ask is, what exactly are we managing?

Every production and delivery system has four key resources:

1. Facilities and Equipment
2. Inventory
3. Labor
4. Management 

When you break your system down into these four parts you accomplish two things.  First, you identify more clearly what needs to be managed within each of the four resources.  Second, you begin to see how they affect each other.  Each resource should be managed and measured in different ways but also in the context of the entire production system.  A breakdown in any of the four will have serious impact on the rest.  The key is to manage all your resources both independently and collectively if you want your company to succeed.

We continue to offer our Deeper Dive into the Whole Life Matrix, a free bi-weekly discussion of different elements of the WholeLife Matrix. To join the Deeper Dive, email Ralph@Consulting2Win.com, with "Deeper Dive" in the subject line.  We will send you the log-in information for the call.  

Are You Ready to Win?

Friends - Common Interest

Matrix Key: Relationships - Friends - Common Interest

"Friendship arises out of mere Companionship when two or more of the companions discover that they have in common some insight or interest which the others do not share." - CS Lewis

Common interests can bring people together and support friendships.  Some people have a hard time talking about themselves, or trouble with a conversation just about life.  A common interest brings people together for a purpose, and often in achieving that purpose, friendships are born. Sharing an activity, or knowing ahead of time the topic of conversation, takes the pressure off a conversation, especially in the early stages of a friendship. Continued meetings provide an opportunity for more time spent together.to As a person discovers and creates more shared experiences, the bonds of friendship are formed.

In the WholeLife Matrix, we identify four possibilities for common interests that might bring people together:

1. Entertainment
2. Issues
3. Mutual Friends
4. Shared History

Opportunities to find like-minded souls surround us, especially once you open yourself to the possibility.  Work, family, school, volunteer and service organizations, place of worship, adult school classes, even message boards at your local coffee shop.  The website www.meetup.com offers a variety of ways to find people and activities - and if you cannot find a local group that shares your interests, consider starting your own group.  You might share an interest with a neighbor down the street!

Are you ready to win?

Self - Physical Awareness

Matrix Key: Personal Awareness - Self - Physical Awareness

"Just watch this moment, without trying to change it all.  What is happening?  What do you feel?  What do you see?  What do you hear?" - John Kabat-Zinn

How often do you tune in to information that comes from the 5 senses and your environment? To truly be present in the moment, we learn to turn down the mind chatter and tune in to whatever is happening right now around us.  As you become aware of the information provided by your senses, you simultaneously become aware of how your environment is affecting your physical body.  The smell of a certain food might bring happy memories of a favorite meal while a bump with someone in a crowd might remind you of a playground bully.  You can take the impact of this physical experience with you through your day - sharing the good with other people or taking care not to transfer your frustration with a thoughtless stranger into an argument with a friend or coworker.

Our physical world affects us whether we acknowledge it or not.  Choosing to be conscious of our surroundings - taking in the good, letting go of the bad - brings energy and awareness to all parts of our life.  I have noticed with my clients that when they step back and observe the world around them, they not only feel more connected and aware, but also discover insights and solutions that were not present to them before.  

In the WholeLife Matrix, I suggest four practices to increase your physical awareness:

1. Grounding 
2. Being Present
3. Physical Memory
4. Body/Mind Connection

Throughout the day we have those "in between" moments when we stop for a few minutes - in line at the store, on hold on the telephone, even commercials as we watch TV.  Rather than letting our minds churn with frustration about the waste of precious time, embrace that precious time by experiencing your physical surroundings.  The choice is yours.  

Are you ready to win?