“I am sure we can do that. We are here to help.” “Let me look into that. Our only goal is to serve you.” Can you give me 5 more variations on that theme? I can, because I heard them all today. The young man was totally helpful. But he never looked me in the eye, nor smiled. Not once! Since he was so helpful, I can’t really complain. However, imagine how much more enjoyable my experience would have been if his face had been in synch with his message! I am not suggesting he laugh at my jokes. I would never blame anyone for letting those go! And he needn’t feel obligated to engage in conversation, even though my efforts to do so were meant to do nothing more than express my appreciation for his above-the-call-of-duty service. But a little smile? Is that too much to ask? And actually, now that I think about it, a simple smile or two would have accomplished far more than all his statements about how dedicated he was to serving me well! Smile when you talk to customers! Even when you are on the phone. I absolutely guarantee it will help both of you! Now check out your employees. Are they smiling?
In just two days last week, I encountered four examples of clients repeatedly jumping through hoops to manage dysfunctional situations rather than fix the situations. Constantly changing time reports to accurately reflect vacation and sick time in a system that requires employees to record work hours before the week even begins Struggling to make an unnecessary standing meeting effective rather than canceling or redefining the purpose of the meeting Plotting to avoid power struggles and find meaningful work for someone whose responsibilities need to be shifted and redefined Focusing on perfecting a plan when the track record points to dusty plans and no execution Dissimilar as these are, they are all examples of wasting time and money unnecessarily and repeatedly by not addressing the underlying problem.
I do it myself when I’m not careful. “Wandering in” takes three forms: You start a task without a clear destination, a clear sense of what will be different when you are done You start a task without a clear route, a clear sense of specific steps that will get you to your destination You don’t really start the task. You check your email, look up something on the Internet, finish reading an article, make some notes about something else, schedule an appointment, answer the telephone, get a cup of coffee, etc. In the first two cases, you get lost in the task. In the third, you get lost in between tasks. Whether you succumb to one, two, or all three forms of wandering in, you will lose significant time. Next thing you know, half an hour or more has passed and you are still wandering around in or between tasks. Starting, on the other hand, involves an intentional decision to launch yourself down a clear path to a specific finish line. You glance at the clock, set an end time in your mind, push everything else aside, and then sprint toward that destination. The difference is enormous. Starting is tremendously effective. Wandering in is not. Starting requires discipline and the habit of being intentional and specific about your goal, next step, and expected completion time. If you save the wandering for your leisure hours, you will be amazed by how many more leisure hours you will have!
It takes a lot to get smoke pouring from my ears but a senior executive at my father’s bank pulled it off last week by confusing compliance with stupidity, er, I mean, an inability to serve. My mission was simple: get money into my father’s account before the IRS withdraws money for taxes. As we all know, death and grief are no excuse for missing IRS deadlines. Had the bank’s mission been to ensure compliance with privacy policies and good service, this executive would have told me that while he was unable to tell me anything about my father’s account, he could easily have acknowledged that yes, my money had arrived at his bank on time. That would have taken about 30 seconds and wasted none of my little gray cells.
It is time to tell the tale. I’m ready and I think the world deserves to hear it. The snow was falling fast and furiously when my parents’ email arrived from 1400 miles away. “Exit” was the subject line. It is not uncommon for parents to rail against old age homes and unnecessary medical care, but doing something about it is quite uncommon. Were they? Did “exit” mean what I thought it did? My mother never thought they would get anywhere near old age but would meet their demise on one of their many wild adventures to every remote corner of the world. Once old age tamed their excursions, my father decided a bottle of scotch and a snowbank would do the trick. I used to chuckle. More recently I asked, “What if it is summer?”
We build images of others based on tiny tidbits of information. Being a lawyer paints one image. Playing golf conjures another. A lawyer playing golf solidifies an image. A lawyer climbing Mt. Everest twists the image. We see what people do and create an image of who they are. Each new clue surprises or confirms. The image evolves or solidifies accordingly. When people make choices like ours and behave as we do, the images we paint can start looking a lot like ourselves. Those living in our neighborhoods, attending our schools, working where we work, participating in similar activities, and friends of our friends must be a lot like us!
Scientists at Stanford have made an entire mouse brain transparent so they can view the neurons in stunning color and explore the structure without using a knife. They call this process Clarity. Thank goodness the clarity I dispense requires neither knife nor death! Uncommon Clarity is for those who are very much alive and want transparency all around them so they can see more clearly and improve their: Critical thinking Strategic thinking Communication Decision-making Ability to lead, manage and collaborate Problem solving Planning Clarity keeps you focused and progressing toward your goals. Uncommon clarity reveals the shortest path so you can move ahead with laser-sharp focus. Aren’t you glad I don’t have to change your brain to Jell-o to help you create clarity? Stick around here where Uncommon Clarity™ is free and your Return on Clarity™ is infinite!
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