Can't Read the Label From Inside the Jar

By definition it is impossible for any of us to know what we don’t know.

D. Brown Management

July 2, 2018 2 minute read

Quote: You can't read the label from inside the jar.

We could be in the top 5% inside our domain and better off spending time scaling the machine rather than perfecting it.
We could be missing something major and not be able to see it.
We could be in a very high-leverage position where even a small improvement could have a huge impact.
We could be missing so much context for the model that we have difficulty seeing how new information fits in thereby limiting our Situational Awareness.

Who are the top 5 people inside your organization that help each other refine your models of projects, your company and the industry?

Who are the top 5 people you are mentoring and coaching to help them refine their models?

Who do you turn to on the outside of your organization that is experienced and unbiased to help give you perspective?

Benchmarks Only Tell a Partial Story

As the leader of a contracting business, you must be constantly focused on the basic scoreboard metrics of customer satisfaction, profitability, and cash flow. What’s a good number? What are others doing?

benchmark business management

Decision Quality: Data Points, Accuracy, Confidence, and the Danger Zone

Decision quality IS NOT linearly related to information quantity. In complex environments with elements of uncertainty, data quantity quickly reaches a point of diminishing returns but increases decision confidence, which puts you into the danger zone.

business management strategy talent

Leadership and Management of Details

Building a great contracting business requires the right balance of leadership and management. While it is possible to separate them the truth is that many of the top leaders are relentlessly disciplined managers.

discipline leadership management wisdom