The NFL is down to the final four teams. On at least one of the games this past weekend the announcers talked about how successful the season has been. They said, and I paraphrase, back in July when training camps started nobody knew if they’d get the season in, but they did, with no cancelled games and only a few rescheduled games. They did much better than college football, which was a mess.
This newsletter is not about Covid, but it’s Covid that sets the tone for the business message below. The NFL did it by implementing some protocols we all can follow. They state high-risk close contact as:
- Less than six feet of proximity.
- For five minutes or longer in duration.
- Indoors.
- Unmasked.
Things we all can’t do are:
- Daily testing.
- Having players wear trackers and then investigating any potential close contacts.
- Using surveillance video.
What it shows to me is diligence can suppress Covid. And before you think I’m in agreement with the Governor of Washington (New York, California, and others) on all the shutdowns, I’m not. My friend Pete McDowell sent me a University of Oregon study saying people don’t catch Covid in (reduced capacity) gyms (I agree based on my going to the gym last fall). I’ve followed contact tracing results a bit and there’s no way people get the virus in (reduced capacity) restaurants.
It makes me think that following the right protocols and having proper systems works, with Covid and other areas in our lives, including:
- Business buyers who have a plan, set up systems, and follow their protocols will do better at locating, analyzing, and closing a deal on the right business at the right price.
- Business sellers who take the time to think about what they’ll do if they sell and also get professional input on if the net price of the business is enough for their next great adventure in life will have less seller remorse.
- Employees who follow the proven plan will advance quicker and be more productive. And if they show how to add value to the current plan all the better (instead of thinking they know more than anybody else and get disengaged).
- Owners who are willing to listen, act, and delegate have better businesses with more value. It’s not how important the owner is to the day-to-day, it’s how little are they needed in the day-to-day.
It really is pretty simple. If you have a plan that works, and you follow the plan, you’ll be successful. In business, health, and life.
“We are pathetically eager to believe that, if human affairs are managed right, nothing unpleasant need befall anyone.” (Journalist) Max Hastings
