Would you consider yourself an investor? The default answer for most would be “no” due to the correlation to financial investing; however, we invest every day through various methods, such as time, money, or effort, both personally and professionally. Those invested resources are to attain an increase in value over a period. Personally, we exercise and eat nutritious food to improve our health, order food and grocery delivery for convenience, read books or attend seminars for on-going knowledge and education, and splurge on new bedsheets or two-ply toilet paper (guilty!) for enhanced pleasure. Professionally, there are similarities, yet noticeable differences.
Specifically, the rewards are often diminished from personal to professional. When I purchase new bathroom towels, my perceived value increases dramatically compared to when I implement a process change for my employer to remove current manual practices resulting in my co-workers experiencing the benefit gains far more than myself. Looking at another comparison involving time-invested and resulting cost savings, we see the same value disparity. If I devote time to refinance my home, it takes effort and time to compare rates and gather the appropriate information to achieve a reduced monthly payment. Time well spent, right?!? From a professional perspective, devoting time to review a new supplier for cost savings may not justify an equivalent time and effort commitment. But why? Perhaps a positive outcome or value increase wasn’t achieved during the last supplier review, or you don’t get monetarily compensated based on the result. The effort required to perceived value has been diluted.
Unraveling everyone’s situation, behaviors, preferences, and logic to find a common theme is nearly impossible. In our opinion, investing is always risky, whether it’s changing clothing brands to entering a new business relationship; however, take the opportunity when it arrives. Don’t default to saying no. Doing nothing is the bigger risk. Surprisingly, a little effort and research can go a long way. Make the effort. Also, buy the two-ply.
