Assumedly, you are aware of the concept of chaos theory? Where one minuscule action can set off a chain reaction that snowballs into seismic proportions. What does this have to do with business you ask? Well, every small decision you make could have massive repercussions down the line.
You may consider this to be overkill, but, have you stopped to consider what a lot of stationery in that seemingly insignificant cupboard could highlight to your employees or clients?
1] Your Efficiency Isn't Up To Speed
To ensure you are improving efficiency across the board, you've got to have the basics in place. This is a major oversight for a lot of us because we think that we do have the basics up and running. And we think that it's more important to tackle the bigger issues.
But if you don't have the smaller things in place, how can you ensure that you've got a foundation in which to build upon the basics? Vince Lombardi, a famous football coach, was all about the fundamentals.
He began his address to the Green Bay Packers football team in the summer of 1961 with a very simple statement by holding up a pigskin and proclaiming "gentleman, this is a football."
And, of course, they knew this, but the fundamentals needed to be in place. In your business, if you don't have the basics, how can you stand to master anything above that?
2] You Don't Have The Money
If you can't afford basic stationery how can you justify more expensive purchases? Whether it's a thermal laminator, reams of paper, printers, as well as the more sophisticated computer technology .
What you look at it from the perspective of an employee, and they're not even able to locate a simple pen and paper, what does this say to them?
Not only do you not have the basics, but if that stationery cupboard has been empty for a long time, and they are forced to bring in their own stationery, it tells them that you can't even get this right.
And this could very well be indicative of deeper problems. So, if you want to inspire some form of confidence in your employees, at least have the cupboard filled!
3] You're Not Prepared For Anything!
Yes, we got an over-reliance on technology to do the job for us, but we need these fundamentals in place first. As an employee in a contact center will need to make notes, but an unforeseen circumstance like a power cut renders the systems unusable while a customer is on the line, they will need the mighty pen and paper.
A customer doesn't want to stop so you can reboot your computer, especially if they're providing important information. You've got to be ready for anything!
The store cupboard, especially in the modern business landscape, is, unsurprisingly, overlooked. But consider this to be a metaphor for your business resources. If you don't have the store cupboard replete with stationery, how are you able to negotiate the more complex transactions?
Any business needs to be schooled in the basics, but it also needs to be aware of how the smaller decisions can impact the business in big ways. Have a look, is your stationery cupboard stocked?
