Would you spend the money, if it was yours?

This is a great continuous improvement question. When you are looking at spending money, this question can often be the one you need to make the right decision.

Is there a better way to spend the cash you have available to you?

Are there other options that you have yet to explore?

Are you committed to the solution you have put forward?

If this was your money, and this was the option to go for, you know the answer would be "yes" to the original question. You would know that spending the money would be the right thing to do.

If you feel hesitation when you think about this question, you know that you have more work to do.

An old boss of mine asked me the question once. That's all it took for it to sink into my brain.

At some point, as your career progresses, every decision becomes easier to see as a financial one. When you are looking at the pros and cons of an investment / purchase / decision, there will be a financial impact.

So, if you are committed to the decision, as if it were your own money, you might well be on the right track!

Discover a way to generate unlimited continuous improvement opportunities with my book Effective Continuous Improvement.

Available from Amazon, iTunes and via Smashwords.

About the author:

Giles Johnston is a Chartered Engineer who specialises in helping businesses to grow and improve through better business processes and embracing Kaizen.

Giles is also the author of Effective Root Cause Analysis and 'What Does Good Look Like?'.

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