Where is Your Care Business and is it on Course?

As we’re pretty much half-way through the financial year, it would be a good time to ask…

Is your care business is where you want it to be?

• How did you get there?
  
  
• The answers can have major implications on the future of your business.
  
  

Are you where you want to be?

Obviously, to answer this question, you must have a set a “destination” to reach.

This strategic destination will be made up of measurable goals or targets, which themselves should be broken down into clear, measurable milestones.

Read Post: Where Do You Want Your Care Business to Be? Your Strategic Destination.

That way you build a route to where you want to be and only need to focus on getting to the next milestone.

Do that and you get to where you want your care business to be. But equally important – you get there in the way intended.

Strategically, rather than accidentally or opportunistically.

This is important because if yes, strategically, then you are on course to continue to the next level or destination you have set for your business.

But if you got there more by chance or some opportunistic event came your way then how will ensure you maintain or better what you have achieved? You could more easily fall back to where you were before luck gave you a helping hand.

So, the question is more two questions:

• Are you where you want to be? And
  
  
• Did you get there as intended? (Are you on course?)
  
  

Are you on course?

Actually, this is the catchall question. If you are on course, then you are where you want to be and you got there as intended.

That is, you have set out a route, made up of measurable milestones, and reached a point you intended to be at by achieving these milestones.

You are on track to reach your annual goals or bigger strategic destination.

So, six months into this financial year, I ask you – are you on course?

Yes, I’m on course

Excellent.

Just to be clear – you are where you want your business to be, and you got there via a route you set for your business.

In other words, you created a clear strategy and are successfully executing it.

Being on course is all about achieving targets, so you need to be able to measure your achievements against those targets.



You may also have achieved some but not all your targets and so may need to tweak the route and milestones a little once you understand why some targets were missed.

For example, if you run a care home, you may be on course regarding your target to reduce your use of agency staff by 20%, but not regarding maintaining an average your occupancy level of 95+%+.

Targets can also impact other targets of course. Missing the 95+% occupancy target, will likely mean missing your revenue and profit targets. (Reducing agency staff will compensate somewhat but not that much.)

The numbers also only tell part of the story, and you need to dive in to see what’s behind those numbers. For example, you may only be on track regarding use of agency staff because the average occupancy target was missed, and you didn’t need as much agency staff. In which case, that target was achieved but not for the right reason (which would have been to reduce staff turnover or sickness and hence reliance on agency).

Or you may be hitting your average occupancy level target because the NHS was desperate to free up empty beds.

Are targets being met or missed because of an unusual circumstance (luck or bad luck) rather than because of the execution of a clear strategy?

No, I’m not on course

This isn’t as bad as it sounds because at least you know.

Knowing that you’re not on course implies that you did create a course (a strategy) for your business in the first place.

Because you have a clear, measurable strategy you know where you are, why you are where you are, what was missed and why and what you need to do to get back on course.

A good, clear strategy doesn’t guarantee milestones and ultimately goals will be achieved – most strategies fail not because they are poor but because they are executed poorly.



Of course, it may have been a poor strategy in the first place, with the wrong milestones and targets.

But a clear strategy, with measurable milestones and targets will show you where you are and should give you enough information to look into why you are where you are.

Revise your strategy based on what you’ve realistically been able to achieve so far and set out what you need to do in order to either get back on your original course or to achieve an amended course.

I don’t know if I’m on course

This is the worst option.

Did you even set a course?

If you did, then not knowing implies the measurements and monitoring processes are not in place. Which in turn means you are blind to what is happening in your business.

This makes you a reactive leader rather than a strategic leader. You want to be the latter.

Read more: Why Being Strategic and Not Reactive is the Key to Success

Of course, you may be achieving some kind of targets you may have in mind but if this was more luck than strategy then when things go wrong, which they will, and you don’t have the visibility to see and correct quickly…

This is why you need to set a strategic destination and create and execute a strategy that will get you there.

Knowing whether your business is on course or not – having this visibility – is a strength that all businesses need. Remember, even if it’s not on course, at least this visibility means you know why and can therefore do something about it.

So, as we’re half-way through the financial year, as yourself if you are on course?

If you don’t like the answer or have any concerns, then drop me an email at chris@qualityofcare.co.uk to see how I can help.