Recent reflections on the way we live our lives has got me thinking about how we prioritise certain aspects of our own personal wellbeing as well as that of our work life and the health of our businesses.
Like many people I know, I recently started to notice the effects of lockdown on my body. Sitting behind a computer all day has not been good for my posture, weight or my mental health and I realised that I had to take some steps to rectify this before things degenerated further. So, I reached out for help and signed up for some cross-fit training, which costs more than joining a gym, but I am prepared to pay because I need fast and effective results.
Yes, when we place value on something that can help us to achieve results, we find ways to make time and money available to invest in that service.
And yet, we do not always apply the same principle to our businesses.
Why is it that we don’t seek the advice and expertise of external professionals to keep our businesses in great health?
Perhaps it is linked to ego – we feel the need to do it all ourselves, keep it in-house and give ourselves a pat on the back when we make it through the tough times?
Or could it be a lack of trust? Possibly we don’t want someone else to learn our secret success formula?
Or are we just undermining the value that experts may bring to our business?
Maybe it’s a combination of all three, but think about your own health and the trust you place in your GP or specialist? If you are unwell, you visit the GP and explain what is wrong. You trust that they will understand and be able to find a solution to your problem. At times, you may have to divulge intimate, personal details about your life to ensure that your doctor fully understands your condition and can find the most suitable treatment.
When it comes to our personal health, we are quick to seek, and trust in the expertise of a trained professional and the same principle should apply to our businesses.
We choose to look at the money we pay to medical aids and health insurance as an investment, but balk at the fact that we have to pay for certain professional services.
Perhaps if we changed our perspective, looked at the true value that external expertise may bring to the organisation and truly trust those professionals to do the job to the best of their ability we may start to see the real return on investment. And the true return is hard to quantify because we’ve yet to find a measurement tool for peace of mind, time saved and a sense of contentment.
