A Triple Crown

Watching, with much anticipation, California Chrome's run for the final leg of the Triple Crown, I was a little saddened, along with many others, to see this horse and owner come up a bit short. Nevertheless, just the fact that this horse even had the opportunity to make the historic run, is a monumental accomplishment in itself.

Obviously, to get to that point of a competition like that, long hours of strategic and systematic training and planning must have taken place.

With the Triple Crown horse races in mind, I thought to blog this week about the main "legs" that make up a thoroughbred business. Winning or placing in these legs is what separates a business from the rest of the herd of standard-run businesses.

The owners of most thoroughbred businesses have a vision as to where they want to take the business and how that business will look and operate. However, these owners are more than visionary planners—they execute what they plan and are not side-tracked when it comes to entering and competing in the three legs of what I will call a "Triple Crowned Business."

In thoroughbred horse racing, the three legs of the Triple Crown are, of course, The Kentucky Derby, The Preakness and The Belmont Stakes. Apparently, the Belmont Stakes is the toughest, simply because it is the longest race and the horses are tired from running in, and training for, the first two legs of the Triple Crown. Only less than a dozen horses have won all three and received the coveted prize. The stakes are high, and the competition is meant to be tough!

So, what are the three legs that make up a "Triple Crowned Business?"

1.) THE FIRST LEG involves completing a detailed Operations Manual of how the business runs, from the starting gate in the morning, until the day or final shift is finished. A thrown-together book of documents and other forms spread all over the office does not qualify as an Operations Manual. A business without a written, detailed operations manual may find they are disqualified to run, much less compete with other thoroughbred businesses in the hunt for a Triple Crown.