Admittedly, I read lots of books. Those of you who know me can attest that I have a terrible habit of collecting books. I tend to spend time collecting to the point of having a minor library everywhere. That wouldn’t just be one library—that would be too simple—instead, I have three.
That being said, I don’t often get overly excited about another business book. The vast majority of them present the same principles in a slightly different manner, which is boring.
The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande is a rare exception. In my opinion, it is a must-read book.
It’s not new, I picked it up years ago on a friend’s recommendation and couldn’t put it down.
It is written by a surgeon and traces the history of checklists and their ability to prevent failure by helping us catch the mental flaws that we all experience. Explore how checklists help improve processes in everything from airplanes to operating room procedures. It is an easy and inspiring read.
The data suggests that no matter your level of expertise, checklists still improve outcomes. If they are used and work in fields like medicine and aviation, where advanced training is part of the job description, then why wouldn’t you incorporate them into your business?
Think about using checklists in areas of your business that have repeatable processes and standardization. It appears that the more standard and process-driven a job is, the more likely we are to get overconfident and be prone to mistakes. That makes sense.
Do you use checklists in your business? If so, how? If not, would you consider adding them?
Let me know by sharing your thoughts below. Let’s learn from each other.
Soar, don’t settle!