I’m not going to jump on the bandwagon and shout about the evils of Obamacare, in fact I actually think that it’s a good thing. Having seen how other national health systems run, I see the value of preventive care from a business perspective. Healthier people cost less money, but to get to that value you have to implement the structure and that’s where we’re struggling. As a business here is what you can learn from the hiccups that have occurred from the roll out.
Before you promise to deliver, understand the expectations
This is a common sense business tip, but it’s a tip that most of us at one time or another forget. Sometimes it’s because we get lost in a new client and we want to make a great impression or sometimes we are trying to get the ball rolling; but the bottom line is, if you can’t do it don’t promise you can. If you fail to deliver, you going to have an uphill battle trying to when clients. People are going to lining up to see you fail, don’t feed the lions. Take stock of what’s expected and communicate clearly and specifically about what you will be doing and how you will be doing it.
Have a back-up plan
Most Project Managers live their lives according to Murphy ’s Law and that’s what should have happened with Obamacare. The thing to remember is that when you are stepping into a new area in your business, have a contingency. Sit down before you move and make a risk board. Figure out everything that could go wrong, and how it could affect your plan. Some of it may never materialize (like a Zombie Apocalypse) but having a plan just in case saves you from scrambling when something does goes wrong.
When you mess up, own up
When Obama care rolled out, it was a mess and they blamed the contractor. They didn’t once own up to anything and at the end of the day, the contractor can only do what they were told. I have a saying in my house, when you mess you own up. In an environment where I am outnumbered 3 to 1, I know that there isn’t room for a lot of back peddling or pretending like I know the answer when I’m don’t. So when I have behaved badly, missed a deadline or forgotten a playdate, I don’t have an excuse. The answer is that I messed up, I didn’t mean to but I did. In your business, don’t pass the buck when you make a bad decision (and you will), stand up and say I made a mistake.
Business is a minefield and one of the best tools you can have at your disposal is the ability to take a lesson from the challenges of others. Instead of judging the mistakes, take a critical eye and see what you can apply from challenging situations. A growing business will see just about every situation in the news, so if it’s uncomfortable learn from it and grow your empire!
I guess you are really looking at this in a good light. But I do get your point when you said that it does have its benefits. I guess it is just another benefit that it is able to teach business owners about how to run their business.
Well said Ivan! Thank you for the comment!