Suppose you came upon a man in the woods, working to saw down a tree. He is exhausted from working for hours. You suggest he could take a break to sharpen the saw because it will help the work go faster. “I don’t have time to sharpen the saw!” he exclaims. “I’m busy sawing!”

People and companies who don’t take time out to “sharpen the saw”—to take a step back and review the way they work—may not be well-placed to deal with change when it occurs. Indeed, Abraham Lincoln famously said, “Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.”

This is really about working “smarter, not harder.” For time-pressed companies, asking a simple question focused on each of these elements will help to stimulate ideas and anticipate change both in the short-term and the long-term.

Some areas to consider include:

People. What if… a member of the staff leaves the company? Having an interim plan in place to handle her workload, and a succession plan to deal with the situation more permanently, will help the company react to the change without disrupting productivity.

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