I developed a little problem a few weeks ago. I became completely obsessed with an online game. I won’t name it, but it involves running around collecting things, being chased by flying monkeys. Warning: playing games can cause blindness!

My obsession started with a perplexing situation. After I’d been playing the game for a few weeks, I noticed I was getting my best scores on my first game and then getting progressively worse scores every time I played. Maybe because I was getting fatigued, my fingers tired, the game got harder every time I played?

I kept plugging away at it but would never beat the first score, no matter how long I played or how hard I tried.

I finally parked my frustration and my inner scientist kicked into action.

After careful observation, I worked out the problem. I had assumed the game layout was the same every time I played, when in fact every game was different. The terrain changed subtly. A rock moved, a branch got lower, a power source in a slightly different spot. I hadn’t noticed the changes because I expected the same layout every time I played. It wasn’t until I approached every game as a new game that I nailed it. (And level 10 victor oh yeah!)

BUSINESS BLINDNESS

Business blindness is a common affliction. It occurs when we stop seeing what’s right in front of us for what it really is. The peeling paint on the wall, the out of date flyer, the rip in our uniform, the dusty shelves. And the more subtle things like changes in our attitude, a slipping of standards or the way we speak to some people.

The dangerous result of this kind of blindness is while we may stop seeing it, our customers [especially new ones] won’t. And those changes in attitude, however subtle, will be noticed by our teams and reacted to.

Taking a few lessons from my game experience, how do we avoid blindness and see what is really there?

5 WAYS TO AVOID BUSINESS BLINDNESS

1. Fresh eyes, ask for input those around you. Your customers, staff, a group of trusted advisors can all provide timely and insightful feedback if you create the way for them to do it. 
2. Stay hyper vigilant to any changes however subtle in your business and your environment. Customers stop buying a particular product, your traffic flow changes, your phone hasn’t rung…create a ‘catch it quick’ culture with your team and reward them for identifying any shifts that may effect your business.
3. The natural born enemy of business blindness is cold hard facts. Using the tools your franchisor gives you provides an impartial assessment of what’s really going on.
4. Take regular breaks to get some perspective and recharge your batteries. Even a few hours out to clear your mind can be incredibly beneficial.  
5. Do business visits with fellow franchisees and critique each other’s operations.

It’s a given the game will change, the rocks move, the flying monkeys come from different directions and power sources alter. To keep winning the game we need to stay vigilant.

Karli Furmage is CEO of the Franchise Relationships Institute, a research and training organisation that has been helping franchisors and franchisees create profitable partnerships for 24 years.