Electronic House Call - July 20, 2007

ELECTRONIC HOUSE CALL - July 20, 2007

I am in beautiful Granville, Ohio just finishing the 2007 edition of the Project to Create the Effortless Organization. We wanted to hold the programs in an interesting place that would help the attendees relax and "un-busy" their minds ... and we certainly found it.

Granville is a delightfully unexpected slice of middle America with gorgeous old houses, wide tree-shaded streets and an open small town atmosphere that is all too rare in these speeded-up times.

This has been a magical week for everyone who participated in the CEO Project, myself included. I will share a few of my personal "aha" moments over the next several weeks and explore them in more detail with members of the Gold Group on next week's teleconference.

I am more convinced than ever of the need to regularly slow down, get away from the daily demands of commerce and take time for reflection. That is when -- and how – the "next big idea" will come to you.

AVOID THE BUSY-NESS TRAP
Slow Down. You'll Go Faster

Most of us lead very busy lives -- too busy in many cases. Just don't equate being busy with actually accomplishing something worthwhile. The two notions are not mutually exclusive, but they are not always the same thing.

Being busy is often just a bad habit. We put in a lot of time and effort, secretly hoping that at the end of the day, something important has gotten done. If you were to really analyze it, though, about the only thing that usually happens after being busy all day is that you suddenly realize that you have just been busy all day.

I see this tendency in myself ... big time. Here is what struck me as a solution:

Before you head home each night, make a short list of what must absolutely be accomplished tomorrow. The shorter the list, the better. Three is about the max. If there are more than three things on your list, delegate specific tasks to others. In the end, the items on your personal list should be things that only you can do.

When you come in the next morning, focus all your activity only on your one, two or three tasks until they are done. Do not take phone calls, check e-mail or tolerate any interruptions. (An open door policy does not mean you are available 24/7 to anyone who wants to interrupt you.) In short, get it done ... then make your list for the next day.

At that point, you are free to do whatever you want for the rest of the day with a clear conscience and no time pressure. You might want to coach your staff, schmooze with your guests or go to your kid's soccer game -- whatever gives you pleasure.
But resist the urge to keep working on "stuff" just because there is still stuff to work on. There will always be stuff to work on. You will die with things on your To Do list. Slow down. Un-busy your mind. Give yourself quiet time for reflection. Read something new. Work out. Go home early and have dinner with your family. In short, have a life.

If you can complete 1-3 essential tasks a day, my bet is that you will be far more productive and expend far less energy in the process.

ARE YOU HAVING FUN YET?
Adding a New Dimension to the Job

hile we are talking about being busy, here is a tough question for you ... and I want you to think carefully before you answer:

Are you doing what you do because you truly love doing it ... or are you working just because you have to? Is it fun for you? Are you excited about coming to work every day? Do you leave more energized than when you arrived?

How about your staff? Do they really love what they are doing? Do they have fun doing it ... or is it just a job to them? Do they look forward to their shifts each day? Is a real love of the business something you look for in new hires? Do you monitor your current crew's level of enjoyment on the job?

Perhaps it isn't realistic to think that everybody will always love everything that has to be done during the day but if you make fun a requisite part of your operation, it will force you to look a little deeper at who you hire. It will make you more sensitive to those policies and practices that bum people out. It will force you to take some action to keep the atmosphere light and professional. (Yes, you can be professional and have fun too!)

The end result will be a happier, more productive crew ... and a waiting line of people who what to become part of that.

ONE MORE WEEK FOR THE JULY SURVEY
We are halfway through the year -- time to check in and see what's on your mind. I know that time is tight this month, so let's use the July survey as a way to pause and take stock of where we are and where you want to go.

This month I am interested in knowing your finest accomplishments so far this year, your biggest concerns for the rest of the year and the issues you would like to see addressed in future surveys. I will close this survey on July 27th so I can take your comments into consideration when crafting the August survey.

As usual I will send a compilation of the responses to all who participate. In the meantime, you can download copies of all past EHC surveys -- including the massive WOW Ideas collections.

Add your thoughts to the monthly survey.

THE PERPETUAL QUESTION
"What did you learn from your staff today?"

I was going to can our long-term outside janitorial guy and have our crews do the daily cleaning in the front of the house. I thought my GM's wanted to get a better job and provide more hours for their crews.

But when ran it past three of them, I found out they value the present service because they never have to worry if the janitor is going to show up (forcing them to do the cleanup on their own). So now I am rethinking the issue. -- Roger, Rocky Rococo Restaurants, Madison, WI

There are two important lessons here. The first is the danger of assuming you know what another person is thinking without asking them. Had Roger talked with his GMs at the outset, he could have saved himself the time he invested in reaching this decision on his own.

The second point is that people want to be part of those decisions that affect their lives. Making a decision without the input of the people who will be most impacted by it is disrespectful ... and disrespect will foster resentment. In this case, if it turned out that eliminating the janitorial service was what his managers wanted, they would have had more ownership of the change if they felt it had been their idea.

Roger did it right -- not making the decision until he had talked with his managers -- but he could have made it much easier on himself if he had just raised the question with them before he spent any time of his own and listened to what they had to say.

The end result would have been the same: Roger would have spent less time and the GMs would have felt more valued.

Learning to listen to your staff -- and being intensely interested in what you hear -- will deepen the respect you have for each other. That will show up in the form of increased productivity, lower turnover, a more positive working climate and fewer on-the-job "emergencies."

Never doubt that the most important (and profitable!) skill you can develop is your ability to truly listen.

What did you learn from YOUR staff today?

I will continue to collect your answers to this important question until they put me in the ground. Just click on the link above and contribute your insights for the common good ... and your own as well!