This is a long story, with a short message. Be patient, read it all, and then think hard - what is your schedule like?
Thanks to the "snow day" in Austin, Texas on Friday, January 24th, I was blessed with the gift of time.
I am no different than many of you. I am a busy, working mother who enjoys volunteering where my busy sons spend their time. I have created a flexible work schedule for myself because I want to be home when my sons get home after school, and I enjoy the time I have with my husband and sons in the evening. I do not love working during those after school hours; however, some days it just has to happen. It might be finishing up a project for a client, submitting a proposal or working on one of my volunteer activities, but there are days where I have to work in addition to driving someone somewhere and helping with homework.
This last week was one of those weeks, my schedule was completely full and there wasn't any wiggle room. Some of the items on my schedule were absolutely necessary and some were completely self inflicted. On Thursday, I hit my breaking point, my wall, or whatever you want to call it when adults have a temper tantrums like exhausted 2 year olds. After collecting myself, I was forced to gather my thoughts and figure out how I was going to juggle all that was on my plate.
Was there anything I could get rid of, or put off? Unfortunately, no. Everything this week was deadline driven. So, I went to bed a little defeated and definitely exhausted, knowing that Friday was booked with volunteer duties for an upcoming event, and that on Saturday I would have to prep and paint the laundry room before 10am on Sunday when the Container Store shows up to install my new shelves. (obviously a self inflicted deadline)
Then, I was reminded that I am NOT in charge. The powers above intervened and gave us what my children called "snow" (it looked like sleet to me) and school was canceled on Friday. Since my volunteer work was at the school, I was given the gift of time on Friday to start what was going to have to happen on Saturday. I was given the breathing room I needed to do the work with thought and purpose. It was a good thing because guess what...the prep work and the painting took at least twice as long as I thought it would.
Hindsight is 20/20 and I quickly realized that there was no way I would have been able to do the work that I needed to do, without running myself ragged and chewing my family up in the process. Was getting all of that work done more important than my sanity, and our happiness at home?
What is the morale of this story? We need breathing room. We need to be realistic about our schedules and our commitments. Why would I schedule a laundry room re-do when I am co-chairing an event at school, booked with client work, and busy with my children's activities? Why not wait?
The sense of urgency is everywhere. The real question is, "is it really urgent?" If I had the sense to evaluate my schedule before I hit my breaking point, I might have seen that I didn't have time for this other project. I might have spaced out my client work so that I could get a other responsibilities complete during my "work" hours. Time is precious - what is the best use of it?
I have forgiven myself for scheduling over my family and coming very close to creating a firestorm. I have thanked the powers above for the gift of time on Friday, and am enjoying time with my family on Saturday. I will make good use of time today to complete my volunteer tasks so others can complete theirs too.
Gifts of time don't come often. What will you do to evaluate your priorities, plan appropriately and right your schedule? If you don't know where to start, call me. I can help you take control of what is going on around you, simplify your schedule and prioritize so you can make what you really want to happen in your, actually happen.
Saturday, January 25, 2014
Monday, January 13, 2014
Are your customers happy?
I am in the middle of a nightmare with Sears over a clothes washer. I purchased it and paid for them to deliver it, as usual. Monday was the 3rd day that they have no-showed for a scheduled delivery; and now they are saying that they cannot even find the washer. I have wasted more than 10 hours on this washer. How do you lose a washer? I am exhausted.
Instead of telling you to boycott Sears, I am going to ask you...Are your customers happy?
Do you know what those who answer the phones for you are saying to your customers? Are they knowledgeable? Are they trained and happy to serve?
Do you know if your processes work and support your staff during customer interactions? Do your employees have access to real data so they can tell your customers what will happen or has happened?
The bigger the organization, the farther away leaders get from the front line and interaction with customers. This can be a critical gap when it comes to long term relationships with customers and repeat business. Often times, we don't find out about breakdowns in service until it is too late.
The head of Sears has no idea (yet) that their call center representatives told me at least 6 times that they could see in their system that my washer was on it's way. Nor does he know that my washer never made it to the warehouse or on a delivery truck. Unless he actually reads the letter I am sending him, he never will know about the horrific breakdown in accountability among his employees and the poor service I received. I am curious to see how or if he will respond.
I encourage to look at your business model. Are you plugged into the front line? Have you asked someone on the front line how that policy (that you created) is working? Have you visited in person with your customers? Consider taking the time to conduct your own version of "Undercover Boss" and watch your organization work. You'll find some great people and great work, as well as some out of date systems, poorly thought out policies, and poorly trained employees.
Strong leaders will view this as an opportunity to learn more about their business and improve upon their systems. Strong leaders are willing to accept that they might be part of the problem, and include the people actually doing the job or using the system in the improvement process. Poor leaders will avoid the moment of vulnerability and negative feedback, and continue to move forward with their own ideas. Poor leaders believe they know everything they need to know about the business. Which one are you?
Take Control. Simplify. Make it Happen.
Instead of telling you to boycott Sears, I am going to ask you...Are your customers happy?
Do you know what those who answer the phones for you are saying to your customers? Are they knowledgeable? Are they trained and happy to serve?
Do you know if your processes work and support your staff during customer interactions? Do your employees have access to real data so they can tell your customers what will happen or has happened?
The bigger the organization, the farther away leaders get from the front line and interaction with customers. This can be a critical gap when it comes to long term relationships with customers and repeat business. Often times, we don't find out about breakdowns in service until it is too late.
The head of Sears has no idea (yet) that their call center representatives told me at least 6 times that they could see in their system that my washer was on it's way. Nor does he know that my washer never made it to the warehouse or on a delivery truck. Unless he actually reads the letter I am sending him, he never will know about the horrific breakdown in accountability among his employees and the poor service I received. I am curious to see how or if he will respond.
I encourage to look at your business model. Are you plugged into the front line? Have you asked someone on the front line how that policy (that you created) is working? Have you visited in person with your customers? Consider taking the time to conduct your own version of "Undercover Boss" and watch your organization work. You'll find some great people and great work, as well as some out of date systems, poorly thought out policies, and poorly trained employees.
Strong leaders will view this as an opportunity to learn more about their business and improve upon their systems. Strong leaders are willing to accept that they might be part of the problem, and include the people actually doing the job or using the system in the improvement process. Poor leaders will avoid the moment of vulnerability and negative feedback, and continue to move forward with their own ideas. Poor leaders believe they know everything they need to know about the business. Which one are you?
Take Control. Simplify. Make it Happen.
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
3 steps to making resolutions you can keep.
So here we are, the beginning of January and everywhere you turn there are commercials or ads for diet plans, gyms, organizational tools, and anything else you might need to reinvent yourself. Many people use January as the time to buckle down and change their unfavorable habits or pick up good ones, but why does it have to be so drastic? Why is this the only time of the year we emphasize positive change?
Most of us are good people with more good habits than bad ones, and we don't need to reinvent ourselves or make drastic changes. Instead of planning for a total overhaul of the current "you," I encourage you to think about what are the not so great habits that you want to change this year, and plan on working on those changes throughout the year. Not all at once and not all in January. Instead of setting new year's resolutions, set your 2014 resolutions.
Here are 3 steps to making resolutions you can keep.
1. Go for simple and sustainable to set yourself up for success.
Creating a resolution that causes you to completely change your schedule or your current way of living isn't realistic. Instead, think about creating resolutions for yourself that are simple enough to fit into your current schedule and are sustainable. The key is to create resolutions that are realistic for you, so you can pick up and start again tomorrow when you don't quite hit the mark today. Set yourself up for success, not failure.
NOT sustainable: Crash diets. They can be effective for a quick 10 pounds before your trip to Mexico, but it is very difficult to keep that weight off indefinitely.
Sustainable: Changing your eating habits. Decreasing the amount of processed/fast food or increasing the amount of plant foods and lean meats you eat, are better resolutions. They are realistic and something you can continue to do for the rest of your life if you so choose.
NOT sustainable: Wake up every morning at 5am to work out for an hour. At some point you are going to be exhausted, take a break, and then it is really hard to get back into the routine. Eventually you drop it all together because your goal was every day and you just couldn't do it.
Sustainable: Wake up at 5am, 3 times a week to work out. This is much more realistic because you can plan your 3 days around your hectic schedule, and those 3 days can change each week as necessary.
2. Focus on one step at a time.
Complete overhauls can be overwhelming. Losing 8.3 pounds a month this year sounds and feels a lot more doable than losing 100 pounds this year. When your resolution is a big one such as this, focus on the trees, not the forest. Set weekly or monthly goals and track your progress. Even if you fall off one week, you still have 3 more in the month to make it up. If you are going to set a resolution such as this, be sure to refer back to step #1.
2. Strive for personal satisfaction, not perfection.
What are we trying to prove? There aren't many professions that give out awards for being the best at something. Most of us won't win an Oscar or the Super Bowl, and there isn't really an award for being the best mother/father, wife/husband, team leader, etc. in the world. So, be forgiving and give yourself a break. A store bought cake or gift card is just as valuable as a homemade cake/gift because thought and effort do count. A call to your friend on her birthday is just as kind as getting a card in the mail (on time!). Perfection can be paralyzing and sometimes good has to be good enough. Surround yourself with people who care about you, your thoughts, intentions and your efforts. If you find yourself falling into a competitive mode, move out of circles where everyone is competing to be the best, drive the best, or look the best. Do what you need to do for you. Life isn't a race, it a journey that goes by quickly, so you might as well enjoy it. If it is a race, why would you want to be the first one to the finish line?
So, Happy New Year! 2014 can be a great year, if you decide that is what you want. If you need a friendly push or support throughout the year, I am here to help. Please contact me if you are interested in coaching and/or de-cluttering your mind, schedule, work style or home.
Take Control. Simplify. Make it Happen.
Most of us are good people with more good habits than bad ones, and we don't need to reinvent ourselves or make drastic changes. Instead of planning for a total overhaul of the current "you," I encourage you to think about what are the not so great habits that you want to change this year, and plan on working on those changes throughout the year. Not all at once and not all in January. Instead of setting new year's resolutions, set your 2014 resolutions.
Here are 3 steps to making resolutions you can keep.
1. Go for simple and sustainable to set yourself up for success.
Creating a resolution that causes you to completely change your schedule or your current way of living isn't realistic. Instead, think about creating resolutions for yourself that are simple enough to fit into your current schedule and are sustainable. The key is to create resolutions that are realistic for you, so you can pick up and start again tomorrow when you don't quite hit the mark today. Set yourself up for success, not failure.
NOT sustainable: Crash diets. They can be effective for a quick 10 pounds before your trip to Mexico, but it is very difficult to keep that weight off indefinitely.
Sustainable: Changing your eating habits. Decreasing the amount of processed/fast food or increasing the amount of plant foods and lean meats you eat, are better resolutions. They are realistic and something you can continue to do for the rest of your life if you so choose.
NOT sustainable: Wake up every morning at 5am to work out for an hour. At some point you are going to be exhausted, take a break, and then it is really hard to get back into the routine. Eventually you drop it all together because your goal was every day and you just couldn't do it.
Sustainable: Wake up at 5am, 3 times a week to work out. This is much more realistic because you can plan your 3 days around your hectic schedule, and those 3 days can change each week as necessary.
2. Focus on one step at a time.
Complete overhauls can be overwhelming. Losing 8.3 pounds a month this year sounds and feels a lot more doable than losing 100 pounds this year. When your resolution is a big one such as this, focus on the trees, not the forest. Set weekly or monthly goals and track your progress. Even if you fall off one week, you still have 3 more in the month to make it up. If you are going to set a resolution such as this, be sure to refer back to step #1.
2. Strive for personal satisfaction, not perfection.
What are we trying to prove? There aren't many professions that give out awards for being the best at something. Most of us won't win an Oscar or the Super Bowl, and there isn't really an award for being the best mother/father, wife/husband, team leader, etc. in the world. So, be forgiving and give yourself a break. A store bought cake or gift card is just as valuable as a homemade cake/gift because thought and effort do count. A call to your friend on her birthday is just as kind as getting a card in the mail (on time!). Perfection can be paralyzing and sometimes good has to be good enough. Surround yourself with people who care about you, your thoughts, intentions and your efforts. If you find yourself falling into a competitive mode, move out of circles where everyone is competing to be the best, drive the best, or look the best. Do what you need to do for you. Life isn't a race, it a journey that goes by quickly, so you might as well enjoy it. If it is a race, why would you want to be the first one to the finish line?
So, Happy New Year! 2014 can be a great year, if you decide that is what you want. If you need a friendly push or support throughout the year, I am here to help. Please contact me if you are interested in coaching and/or de-cluttering your mind, schedule, work style or home.
Take Control. Simplify. Make it Happen.