A Letter from Chris Suarez
2020 MATH: ADDITION BY SUBTRACTION
Everything is a little backwards this year. And although I’ve almost reached my limit of people putting the words “this year” in quotes as if it is a title or has a personality or deserves more recognition, well, I’m going to take the opportunity to teach a math lesson that may seem a bit backwards at first glance.
Over the past few months I’ve found myself being a science teacher, a history teacher, a Spanish teacher, and after today I’ll certainly be fired as a math teacher. Because today I propose that 2 + 1 = 1 and 2 - 1 = 3. Yes, you read that right. After today we will always remember this math lesson known as Subtraction by Addition and Addition By Subtraction.
All of our partners headed into this year perhaps much like you, with goals of growth. You had the goal of adding to your businesses through either units sold, volume sold, revenue generated, or profit earned. Perhaps the goal was growth in every category. Those that did grow employed a strategy of Addition by Subtraction. As it turns out, those that didn’t grow, either consciously or unconsciously, employed a strategy of Subtraction by Addition.
Let me explain. Put simply, there are two groups of people.
The first group commits to growing and immediately begins to cut out activities, strategies, and commitments that they had previously made. Doing a quick time and motion study allows them to see how much time is spent on each activity they are doing. They then need to eliminate any motion or energy expended on things that are not going to contribute to their growth goal. In effect, they all have commitments in their calendar that must be cut. They all have activities in their schedule that must be eliminated. They all have strategies that at one point they were executing that must be stopped. By focusing on a few simple goals, they open the door to growth. Immediately they accept the mathematical law of addition by subtraction. 2 - 1 = 3. They add to our growth though subtracting from their schedules.
The second group committed to growing and incorrectly assumed that in order to do so, they needed to add new commitments, new activities, and new strategies. By focusing on too many goals, well, they are unable to focus at all, and so they close the door on growth. They begin to roll out untested strategies, unproven activities, and underdeveloped plans. They are rewarded with unfortunate results. This group accepted the mathematical law of subtraction by addition. 2 + 1 = 1. They actually go backwards by adding to their schedules. They literally work more hours, but achieve less results and ultimately make less money.
Studies show that 92% of people that set goals don’t achieve them. That leaves only 8% of people setting goals that are actually hitting them. How is that possible? Because achieving bigger goals is somewhat counterintuitive. We often look back at what we accomplished this year and decide that in order to grow, hit a bigger goal, or achieve more next year, then we very clearly need to do more. We need to add another lead generation strategy or revenue building activity. So we look at what we didn’t do versus what we did, and we add one more thing. Or two more things. Or three more things. Or…
The counterintuitive rule however is that our level and our speed of growth will be determined by how quickly we can eliminate commitments and increase the focus on our most important activity for our organization right now. We all need to do a little bit more quitting. Why is that so hard? Because just this week I heard someone use the expression “Winners never quit and quitters never win.” The word quitting causes some of us to have a visceral and physical reaction. Quitting has a negative connotation. We feel that quitting is giving up, that quitting equates to failing. Studies have found that we tend to value things that we already own or that we are already doing more highly than they are worth, and thus find them more difficult to get rid of or give up.
As we head into the new year, I give everyone permission to find something to quit. I assure you, we all have something we should have quit months ago, maybe years ago, maybe even decades ago. Go ahead, quit. It’s the first step to your new commitment of addition by subtraction.
Now, there is only one place in business where addition will always lead to addition. Where one plus one always equals two. And that is when adding talent to the team. Not people to the team. Not leverage to the team. Not support to the team. Not expense to the team. But talent to the team. Talent will always lead to addition. In fact, I would argue that you will know when you bring on talent, because it will force you to learn multiplication. Talent always multiplies the success you are already experiencing. In every one of our organizations, we have a growth goal around talent. Some of your have subtracted everything else from your day to day role outside of talent attraction.
Be ready. That certainly isn’t subtraction by addition. That isn’t even addition by subtraction.
I’ll call that, true multiplication by addition.
Chris