Just One of My Lists

Since I do not know exactly who reads this blog, I need to provide a little personal information before I get to the point of this post (if there really is a point).

For those who know me you probably know that my older daughter, Sarah, was married on November 22nd. (Yes, I know I am too young for such things, but it happened…I was there.) It was quite a celebration of she and her husband Marvin’s beginning of life together…and just life in general. I keep reminding myself that the expense was worth it… for lots of reasons…not the least of which is that I truly believe that this life is one of abundance and not scarcity. My God is a BIG God… and a little extravagance in celebration of just being here is warranted every now and then! (I concede that this may be rationalization… and my family tells me to quit saying I’m broke! Which, by the way, is close to the truth. OK..from now on I’m trying the positive thinking thing!)

For those who know me very well, you also know that I live my life guided by lists…to do lists for my customers, to do lists for home projects, grocery lists, books and articles to read list, places to be lists… all kinds of lists.

Since the wedding I’ve added a new list to my list of lists. (I guess I kept this list mentally before the wedding, but the pre and post wedding planning and events brought me to begin writing things down.) My new list is a list entitled:

“Things I have absolutely no control or influence upon”.

So here it goes:

The weather
The stock market
What people think
What people think about me
The mortgage bailout
The auto manufacturer bailout
The actions of our President
Who is our President (Maybe my vote did count…?)
Wedding planning
Where my daughter and son-in-law will reside
Snoring (even though I don’t believe I do…but just in case…I can’t help it)
A certain person’s reaction to snoring (you figure out who…but her name begins with J)
My choloresterol (unless you believe that baloney about eating right…I think it is heredity)

OK..too much editorial comment… but you get the picture… and the list goes on and on…

The conclusion reached by all of this time consuming list making is that the only thing I can truly control or influence is the little bit of activity that goes on between my ears. And this leads to reaction or response. (Reaction=Bad, Respond=Good…as in “I had a reaction to the medicine.” vs. “I am responding to the medicine.”)

Once again proving that life is about 10% what happens to you and 90% how you respond to what happens. Your actions are guided by your thoughts and beliefs…every time. What are you thinking? What do you believe?

Maybe there is a business application in there some where...I think there is.

2 Keys

Over the past 2 days I have watched my younger daughter compete with her high school volleyball team in the State Tournament. They won convincingly in the quarter finals and lost a close match in the semis. She was not a happy camper! But she did recover quickly and is already talking about and planning for spring club volleyball and next year’s high school season. (She has 2 more years of high school ahead.)

While watching the games I begin to notice, what I think are the keys to success in the game of volleyball. You might find this surprising as I don’t even know all of the rules to the game! But that has never kept me from expressing an opinion before. So here it goes:

Key #1- Performing the routine plays consistently.
Key #2- Innovating successfully when the plays are not routine.

Duh! More easily said than done! And, as you knew I would point out, this observation dovetails very well with success in business.

I have posted in the past about fundamentals and how mastering them yields success. This is really what Key # 1 is all about. Do the basics well! And how do we do that? Plan and practice, there is no other way. Plan how you want your “play” to happen, and then practice it until it is second nature. At our office, for example, we try to anticipate our clients’ wants and needs and then plan our “plays” to meet or exceed those expectations. Not surprisingly, most clients’ wants and needs are similar…so we prepare our basic plays to get the job done exceedingly well.

But what about the plays that are not routine? The tip in volleyball that causes us to feel out of position, the block that is right back on us before we have time to react, are examples of plays in which we must innovate to succeed. We cannot get our feet under us and make a good pass, or get in position for a kill, we must respond to the situation quickly with innovative reflex. Just keep the ball alive until we can get back to the routine.

In business, the “non-routine” can happen in any number of ways. Economic downturns, a supplier mistake, an unusual need/want from a customer, are just a few examples of situations when we must respond innovatively. Just keep the ball alive until we can get back to the routine! So how should we plan for innovation? In my opinion, by practicing the fundamentals repeatedly, innovative opportunities will readily present themselves…and therefore we can “practice” innovation. This may sound like an oxymoron. How can we “practice innovation”? By putting ourselves through the routine enough times, the “non-routine” will naturally occur just due to the law of averages. Nothing happens the same way every time.

Also, by reading, studying, and researching the non-routine events we can actually gain “virtual” experience. Again, in my opinion, virtual experience is the best type of experience as it allows you to not actually experiment with “live fire” but experiment in the controlled environment of your own mind. What have others experienced in similar environments? How did they respond? What worked and what didn’t?

Key #1- Routine….planning and practice makes perfect….consistent repeatability.

Key #2- Innovation…again, routine practice and virtual experience gives you the opportunity to respond to the “non-routine” in a routinely innovative way (routinely innovative…another oxymoron…I am on a roll….).

Fun and Happiness

Before I begin discussing my thoughts on fun and happiness I should probably follow up on my last post (Sunday, August 31, 2008).

Hurricane Gustav has come and gone…but certainly will be remembered. My business was without electricity for 5 days and my home was out for 9. A real bummer. We had a tree on our house which caused some significant roof issues and damage to a vehicle caused by another downed tree. Another bummer. But my family is all OK and we are back up and running…harder than ever. Repairs are underway to the property. I have to remember it is just stuff…the real value is in relationships. 9 days without power, however, tested the strength of those relationships. We survived!

We didn’t have much fun for those 9 days..but, for the most part, we were happy. (I’ll get to the significance of that later.) We knew the uncomfortable times would end and we would get back to our routines…at some point. We’re back!

So on with the new post.

I had the opportunity to speak to a group of high school juniors last week. That was fun! When the class sponsor asked me to speak, I said yes before I even thought about what I would say and if it would mean anything to the students. I began wondering why he asked me to speak…so I asked him…why? He even had to think about it for a second (I am not a past great athlete, not a wealthy businessman, and not a government employee or public servant) and finally he said, “You seem like a happy guy.”

So there you have it, I am a happy guy.

I began turning this over in my head for a while and just thinking about what makes people (and me) happy. The following is some of what I discussed with the kids:

Is there a difference between fun and happiness? I think we all like to have fun but isn’t our ultimate goal happiness? You see fun is an event... and happiness is an attitude…contentment. I think we sometimes get the 2 confused. It is really easy to do.

Take ice cream for instance…eating ice cream can be fun…for me it is really fun! But saying no to ice cream (most of the time) can lead to happiness. Too much ice cream could lead to a lot of things I do not need more of…like weight and cholesterol! So saying no…most of the time…makes me happy. This is paradoxical thinking at its best. (Most of the kids even knew what paradox meant…I was impressed.) You see, my body retains ice cream! So I have to make a very difficult choice.

Choices lead us to a better or worse circumstance. My choice is to weigh over 200 pounds….I say this is my choice because I have never accidentally eaten anything! Choices lead to results…either good or bad results. I choose to eat too much so therefore I must choose to weigh too much. But the choice is mine.

Where we end up, no matter what our past was like or where we happen to be right now, is dependent on the choices we make and actions we take today.

I wonder what’s for dinner?

Just kidding….my diet starts today….again!

I hope I made a connection with the kids and that they will consider their future happiness and choices.

Maybe they will and maybe they won’t….the choice is theirs.

Waiting on Gustav

As I sit here and wait for hurricane Gustav, it occurs to me that I probably have about an hour of uninterrupted thinking time. My family is out and about picking up some “last minute” necessities. (Probably M&Ms and Gummy Worms!) Knowing exactly what to do at this time is a little nerve wracking so I am taking a break and “letting the chips fall where they may” for a little while. The patio furniture is secure, we have propane gas, and we are hunkered down. And I can still use the computer to capture my thoughts. If (when?) the electricity fails I am not sure if I would have the energy to write in longhand (and besides my handwriting is so bad I might not be able to interpret it).

I am wondering if others feel this unprepared in uncertain times. But are not all times uncertain? We never really know what is going to happen from day to day or, for that matter, from minute to minute. We try to have influence on people and events but certainty is forever elusive. The best we can do is to be prepared for uncertainty and change. Change may be the only thing that is certain and constant.

In consulting with business persons we (our business team) are continuously preparing for change. We advise our clients that if they don’t like change… they will like irrelevance even less. So let’s get with the program! Abraham Lincoln said, “I will prepare and someday my chance will come.” So he prepared and was elected the 16th president of the United States.

Upon further reflection, I think it is the hurried preparation that increases the stress levels to the breaking point. If we are continuously preparing and adjusting our plans (in business or for other life events) I propose that our confidence in ultimate survival and success will increase. It is very difficult to plan the battle in the midst of it. The plan should come first. And if the battle is not going the way it should, retreating and gathering a better plan may be a good course of action.

I hope your plan is well thought out and executable. Also, I hope your hatches are battened down!

Let’s hope Gustav is more show than blow.

Measuring or Judging

As an accountant by training, my tendency is to attempt to measure everything in business and make decisions based on those measurements. Measurements… like how many calls came in, how many were converted to customers, how much did each customer spend, how long did you work, and how many widgets did you produce, etc…you know…counting things!

In fact, we have been known to say, “What you can measure, you can manage”. In the world of repetitive tasks, such as an assembly line process, this perspective may be very successful. But the business world of today has many fewer repetitive, factory worker type, tasks and many more unique selling and production opportunities. The environment has changed to a knowledge worker dominated work force as opposed to a factory worker dominated work force. In an environment such as this, measurement in and of itself can be difficult at its best and yield worthless information at its worst. Managers should take note, as managing a knowledge worker is much different than managing a factory worker.

Measuring how long a knowledge worker, someone who thinks for a living, sits at his or her desk, though relatively easy to do, will not necessarily assist a manager in assessing the productivity and value of this type worker. Sure the workers are there, but are they productive? You then may think, “Let’s measure the knowledge worker’s output.” Again, on the surface, this sounds pretty good... and easy…but what if the output is of great quantity but poor quality? Will the customer be happy?

I hope you are beginning to get the picture that judgment in the world of business management is beginning to take the place of pure measurement. A rather silly example is that measuring the efficiency (how many operations performed) of a brain surgeon is not nearly as relevant as judging his effectiveness (how successful were the ones that he did perform). I don’t know about you …but give me effective in this case every time!

Because our firm is totally comprised of knowledge workers, I have given up all together on certain measurements as a management tool. In fact, we have adopted, what we call, a Results Only Work Environment (a ROWE). We do not complete time sheets, we do not have set office hours, we do not have set holidays, we do not have “overtime”, and we do not measure our value by how long we are at the office. But what we do track is how effective are we in completing a task in a timely manner and in the highest quality fashion. We judge how happy our customers are with our deliverables and services. We also hire quality people who are very well capable of knowing the tasks they need to accomplish, the associated timetables, and the quality expected. We treat them like adults (though sometimes we play like children) and judge the quality and effectiveness of their output.

In the business world today…judgment trumps measurement every time!

IF

The poem below has long been a favorite of mine. I was introduced to it in high school by two English teachers (Ms. Ruth Smith and Ms. Sonia Walters) who both have had great influence on my way of thinking. In fact, I have pictures of both of them in my office today. They are both gone now. I wish I could say I enjoyed it as much back then as I do now. Age and experience bring a richness to its words. The wisdom it proclaims is “way cool”… in today’s language. It was written in 1895 by one of England’s most famous authors and poets, Rudyard Kipling. If you have never heard or read it I’d like to know how you like it and what it means to you. If you are familiar with it, I hope it makes you pause and think as much as it does me.

IF

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream-and not make dreams your master;
If you can think-and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings-nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And-which is more-you'll be a Man, my son!

Like I said…way cool!

Change

Charles Darwin said that it is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, it is the one most responsive to change. While I do not buy in to all of Darwin’s theories, I think this thought is on the money. The difference with humans, as opposed to all others in the animal kingdom, is that the human is capable of making a conscious choice to change… to adapt, to be flexible, to think and adjust, etc.

While watching a DVD presentation today by Les Brown I was impressed by a short story he told about a dog. The dog was whining and moaning when a visitor asked the dog’s owner what was wrong with the dog. The owner responded that he was lying on a nail. “Why doesn’t he move?” asked the visitor. “Well,” said the owner, “I guess it doesn’t hurt enough to move, just enough to convince him to whine and moan.”

Does this describe most of us? Are we uncomfortable enough to whine and moan but not uncomfortable enough to do something about the discomfort? One of my friends, Alan Jordan, left me with a quote that perfectly depicts when change will occur. “Change happens,” he says, “when the pain of the present exceeds the fear of the future.”

If you haven’t figured it out folks…that is profound! (It is my job as the blog master to point these sorts of important things out.)

While consulting last month with a valued customer, we were discussing his business operation, of course, and the fact that he was still working too much IN his business and not enough ON it. In short, he was swamped, stressed, and uncomfortable… yet not quite swamped, stressed and uncomfortable enough to make some changes. Yes, the changes needed to make his situation better involved some risk. The change may cost some money, the change may vest some “power” into others hands, the change may cause the owner to have to become a better manager, the change may… (you fill in the blank). He even said to me, “I guess it is going to take lymphoma or a heart attack to make me change.”

Wow…what do you think of that? It may be too late if this tragedy happens.

Change is happening all around us in our personal lives and in our business lives. We cannot stop it. But to ultimately survive and prosper…to become successful (by whatever means you define success) we must adapt…we must change. And these changes may create risk. But if we don’t change… we may just go the way of the dinosaur. Remember them? They were big, strong, and fast…but they just couldn’t adapt... and they are nonexistent today.

The AA serenity prayer is a wonderful salve for the discomfort of changing times:

“God, grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
the courage to change the things I can;
and the wisdom to know the difference.”

Amen.