Helen Green

Re-evaluating Results

Ben Nevis has grown; or rather it hasn’t, but new measuring techniques have enabled the height of mountain to be re-stated at 1,345 m.

Admittedly, that’s only 1 m up on the previous measurement but the announcement of the revaluation has ‘raised the mountain’s profile’ in the press!

In fact, the re-measuring of Ben Nevis highlights the way in which technology has transformed everyday processes. In 1949 surveyors took 20 days to accomplish what was achieved in a matter of hours in 2016. Interestingly, the new measurement is only a few centimetres different from the old one, but those few centimetres enable the height to be rounded up rather than down, thus adding 1 m to the records.

The fact that even without modern equipment surveyors could be so accurate actually teaches us an important lesson. Sometimes the old methods can still bring surprising results and it is therefore important not to dismiss ‘the old’ simply because it has been around for some time.

However, as leaders we should also be aware of the dangers of simply plodding along the same well worn groove. Taking time out to re-evaluate and to ask those searching questions not only helps us to ensure that our organisations are still on track, but also prompts us to make the tweaks which are required if we are to deliver noticeable and strong results.