I got my wife a digital SLR camera for Christmas. The pictures it takes and its functionality are incredible. However, we knew for doing sporting events that it just might need a new lens.

Our son Eric had three lacrosse games this past weekend in college. For the first game on Saturday, we used the camera with the lens that it came with. We could see things, but not quite have a close up view. That evening we went up to the Mall of America and got a zoom lens. The next day we had a very different perspective. We could get the close in view. We could zoom in on what we wanted to see with greater clarity.

There’s more to it though. The person at the camera store answered our questions and showed us how we could better use the camera in sporting events. He changed a setting for us and showed us how we could set the camera to be able to take multiple pictures very rapidly. We not only now were able to zoom in and get a close perspective, but we were also able to capture the exact shot that we are looking for more often. We increased our batting average of success.

There could be two parallels to this in the business world:

1. Could you use a new set of lenses to get a different perspective on your business? Can you drill down and zoom in on the level at detail that you want to see? Can you get to the precise view that you want to have?

2. Do you have somebody who can help guide you and show you how to make the best use out of the lenses that you have?

The new lens in your business could come from technology. For example, it could be getting your data setup in a database format and then using a business intelligence tool, whether something such as Microsoft Excel or, perhaps, a more sophisticated package. A good tool will allow you the ability to zoom in and get at more detail. For example, you might see a variance in your financial statements. A good tool should let you hone in on this particular variance and get a deeper understand on the root cause, even getting down to the transaction level.

It also could be getting a very different perspective on the business. You might be lacking the financial focus that you need or, perhaps, it could be in the marketing side or maybe in your operating efficiencies in producing a product or delivering your service.

That’s where a consultant could come in. You might already have the tools in your business, but not making good use of them. Microsoft Excel is a tremendous example of that. Most people only capture a fraction of its capabilities.

So, if you’re looking to improve the results in your business, consider changing your lenses and getting someone to help either give you new perspectives or make use of the tools that you currently have.

Jon Paul, MBA, CPA, CMC, CM&AA

President, Value Added Finance Resources
Bringing new insights on results and maximizing company value