“I have not failed; I have just known 10,000 ways that won’t work” Thomas Edison
As a continuation of my previous article on Step 4 of 7: Take Action which discusses the importance of taking action. Action makes all the difference. By the end of planning step 3, you should have narrowed down to action items that impact your goal achievement. An old saying goes “you know something, it doesn’t make a difference, you don’t know something, it doesn’t make a difference”.
Once you implement necessary actions it is time to check if they produced results.
Refer to the goals and results mentioned in the image given.
There are two possible scenarios:
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Results are far below the set goal: Don’t blame yourself or others, accept it with grace, it is still better than not having tried at all. Re-work on your quest and associated knowledge area.
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Results are equal to or beyond the set goal: Celebrate, run out like Archimedes did! Announce to the world about the feat you achieved! Thank people who helped you in your cause, throw a party, let it sink on its own, it may take time.
Don’t get dejected because you couldn’t achieve your set goals, actually you achieved much more than that. Just wonder what you have done, you have taken a leap to change your destiny, and it is not a joke!
Go back to the drawing board and analyse, what worked and what didn’t, what changes to the plan are needed? Revise the plan and go to the battlefield again with a renewed hope and faith.
“Real failure is not a failed attempt, but it is failing to try again.” If you wish to make real progress cast away the fear of humiliation that follows a failure.
About the Author
Sreedher Kadambi serves as the Principal Consultant and Managing Director at Skil Global Business Solutions Private Limited. With over two decades of experience, he specializes in consulting for Operations Excellence practices within the industry. Kadambi has collaborated with over 20 diverse business segments across India, the USA, and the Middle East, catering to small, medium, large-scale enterprises, as well as multinational companies. Additionally, he holds a position as a visiting faculty member at the Indian Institute of Management, Udaipur.
Kadambi has contributed to the field by authoring numerous articles and case studies focused on the implementation of world-class operational excellence practices, available, under blog section, on www.skilglobal.com. He is also the author of "Cracking the Six Sigma Black Belt Exam," a publication by McGraw Hill, which is currently out of print.