Section 1: At Death’s Door
NON-PROFIT organisations provide products or services for the benefit of society, while profit-making organisations mainly focus on generating profit. The greater the profit, the greater the financial and social gains.
Sometimes, in an attempt to make a profit, an organisation engages in various activities and experiences several challenges. These challenges may become so severe that they require medical attention. Many times, when medical attention is sought, the organisation is already at death’s door. At this stage, an organisation needs a diagnosis. This is a preliminary requirement for many medical officers when someone shows signs of lifelessness or dysfunction.
To help a dying organisation, you must identify the root cause. If the main problems are not identified, then the organisation may encounter the same problem again. One good example is an individual discharged from the hospital who goes home but returns for the same reason. Therefore, finding the root cause and addressing it is the best way to resolve an issue.
Finding the problem may be time-consuming, but if you want to help the organisation, you have to find out what caused it. Once you find the cause, you must take steps to reduce, eliminate, or remove it from the organisation. Solving some problems may be costly, but it may be the only way to address them.
Some problems can result from faulty machines, old equipment, poor performance from the labour force, and more. Whatever the problem is, it must be addressed. Timeliness is also a key factor when addressing the problem.
Section 2: Learning from the Past
The past should not be seen as a bad period, especially for organisations that have faced challenges. Many people who have learned from the past can make a great impact on the future. The past provides many learning opportunities. Some past experiences may not be enjoyable to remember. However, if the lesson has been learned and a similar situation occurs in the future, those managing the organisation will know what needs to be done.
When faced with certain challenges, start-up organisations sometimes do not know what to do, since it may be the first time they have experienced such a situation. Some organisations have taken steps to ensure their senior management team includes experienced people. These experienced people can provide quality guidance to the younger management team, which can save them from many pitfalls.
Certain experiences are not easy to acquire. However, those who have learned from tough experiences can guide others in the right direction. This is similar to a parent sharing experiences with his/her child. Children sometimes believe they have a good grasp of life, but when certain situations confront them, they recognise they need their parents or should have taken their parents’ advice.
Past experiences are a good learning tool for avoiding future challenges of the same nature. When an organisation plans for the future, it should also consider its past experiences. This helps make assumptions and estimates more realistic and less based on the idea that everything will be perfect.
Some organisations will use statistics for future projections. One such statistic is the average, or mean. This allows the organisation to use a figure that includes both good and bad results. Choosing this option may have advantages and disadvantages, but the organisation must use something as the basis for future projections.
Section 3: Fully Recovered
After a long and intense effort, the organisation might be able to find its way back to recovery. Any organisation that has recovered will be more than happy to stay alive. To be alive is a good thing!
Organisations that have succeeded in the rescue operation will want to make success a daily diet. They will do everything to stay alive. Staying alive can be very challenging, but it is better than being dead.
A successful organisation that has survived the rescue will have to build its muscle. It should establish itself and spread its operations. When operations are spread, the organisation can minimise some of the risks common to other organisations. A new customer base is important, as it will guarantee additional revenue.
An organisation’s success in overcoming life’s challenges serves as a learning experience for others. Sharing its challenges and successes with selected, trusted people may be good medicine to prevent other organisations from falling into the same situation. However, some people are selfish and do not want to share what has happened to their organisation. They watch others go in the same direction toward failure without warning them.
Success is good, but each organisation should constantly strive to improve. You can achieve incremental improvements or dynamic success through change. An organisation should not plan to stay where it is forever but should try to improve regularly.
Planning for the future requires much foresight. The future is not guaranteed to anyone, but planning for it helps us to grow. Always try to be conservative when planning for the future. Stick to your plan if most of the factors remain the same. If some factors change, then you will be required to make the necessary changes.
Often, an organisation’s success requires the guidance of a visionary captain. Often, success lies ahead, but not everyone can see it. A visionary captain can see far beyond what other members of the organisation can see.
You should connect with the public. Many people may be depending on you. Some organisations do not place much emphasis on marketing, but that should change. Advertising what you have will help your organisation reach more customers, increase revenue, and survive. When people know about the quality products you have, they may be willing to leave where they are and purchase what you have to offer. You should make the public familiar with what you have.

For more information about Geary Reid and his books, please use this contact information: Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/author/gearyreid; Website: www.reidnlearn.com; Facebook: Reid n Learn; Email: info@reidnlearn.com; Mobile: 592-645-2240.