In the United States we are in the season of giving thanks. 

Today I want to suggest giving thanks for performance problems.  Seriously? Did she just say that?

Yes, I did.

"Citius! Altius! Fortius!" (Faster! Higher! Stronger!), the Olympic Motto chosen by the founder of the modern Games, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, defines not only great athletes, but also great performance chains. 

Coyotes: Humans find them mysterious, cringe at their chilling howls and largely misunderstand them.  What could they possibly teach us that would be relevant to our businesses? Well, a lot actually – about flexibility.

The coyote is known for his ability to observe, take in information, problem solve and adapt. That’s basically a definition of flexibility, right? Flexibility benefits any business when it equals reductions in time and effort to meet dynamic customer demands. To achieve those benefits you need to observe, take in information, problem solve and adapt. Just like a coyote.

In business, flexibility can come in many forms. It can come from physical assets that are designed to easily adjust as demand flows in. It can come from smart processes that can observe or take in information as demand moves through the operations and adjust as needed. It can come from a mix of fixed and variable elements, such as fixed workstations with variable staffing, or fixed skill sets with variable capacity.

In the animal world, the food chain is the most critical driving force. In the business world, it’s the performance chain – defined as all the tangible and intangible elements that have to move from the moment you trigger demand until you have cash in the bank; all the ins and outs that have to work together and align to your target customer experience to drive the outcomes you want.