Facts

I have the facts! What a powerful statement. Facts should not be ignored because facts mean the state of things as they really are, or reality. Facts in the form of data are the accumulation of information that takes us closer to reality. In the world of business, the data shows how healthy our investments are. We undertake risks to obtain benefits based upon the facts and data presented. It’s important to have honest reports because we rely on them to make our decisions.

We cannot plan effectively or function properly without knowing at least some facts. We don’t start a family, business or organization knowing all the facts; no one does, although it’s very important that we get as many facts as possible before we do too much planning. Too many assumptions in our plans will cause us to fail but after we have accumulated sufficient facts, we have a right to assume a few things. More facts will certainly come our way, and then we need to be ready to make any necessary adjustments.

Facts and data do not necessarily describe total reality. It is impossible to pretend that we can define reality without them but we must endeavor to accumulate facts from different perspectives and not only from one source. Sometimes we confuse the word truth with facts. When someone presents us facts, we need to be careful because these facts may not give us the whole truth or the whole picture. Sometimes a sales representative focuses on certain facts about their product to make the sale, and later we realize that these facts have been exaggerated or other facts have been left out. Truth is the accumulation of all the facts, rather than certain facts. Facts should never be ignored because they lead us to truth.

Staying abreast of the facts is the way to build any business. Facts help us make profits; therefore weekly fact sheets are very important for business. These facts should be a recap of things that happened such as sales for the week, labor cost and production efficiency. Every business or household should know every week whether they are doing well or poorly and what progress they are making. Bad news can turn out to be good news because it gives us a chance to make changes for improvement. These facts, good or bad should be visible to us every day to confront us, force change and let us know our situation so we can make adjustments. If we don’t have the facts we may be failing and not know it until it’s too late to recover.

1. We will be able to design a better plan, function more efficiently, and project certain behaviors and their consequences. No one has ever started a business or an organization knowing all the facts, nevertheless before planning, it is important to get as much information as possible.

2. We will come closer to reality and be able to make better decisions based on good, sound, accessible information.

3. Whatever we build, we must build on truth. Facts bring us closer to the truth and this becomes a solid foundation on which to build and work towards the bigger picture.

1. Collect and record daily, weekly, monthly and yearly data about the projects to watch historical trends.

2. Interpret data through graphs or tables. You will then be able to detect patterns, possibilities and opportunities.

3. Learn to be flexible. Plans require adaptability. The further you go, the more you will discover the things that are not always happening as you expected. You will have to review the data and make necessary adjustments.

4. Have a positive attitude about bad news. It is possible to use bad experiences to learn and change to improve. Just like pain is a signal to detect problems in our bodies, unpleasant information can be beneficial for your future.

5. You should never ignore truth, facts or data. In such a fast changing environment, ignoring facts and delaying adjustments might lead you to disaster and penalize you in the future. Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.

6. Face the facts; they are there to help you not to hurt you. Don’t be like the man who said, “I have already made up my mind, so don’t confuse me with the facts.”

7. Never wait until you feel like you have all the answers because you may never feel like you know enough to start anything. To have a vision is not the same as having all the answers. Every step demands some faith in the possibility.

Right now the world and its economies are changing; to ignore these facts and refuse to adjust brings disaster. The Soviet Union ignored the facts and their nation crumbled. Heavy national debts, mismanaged economics and moral deterioration are facts which cannot be ignored without penalty. Some of these facts should have been faced years ago. Failure does not just happen overnight; it comes from ignoring the facts over time. Ignorance, not paying attention to the facts or a stubborn heart that refuses to change will always cause disaster. Facts are important to make decisions for now and the future.

What is the difference between truth and the facts?

Is there a time when you wanted to ignore or avoid the facts?

How do you measure your weekly productivity?

Have you ever been deceived because you had certain facts but not the whole truth?