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Name of author Rick Baker, P.Eng.

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Thought Tweet #445

by Rick Baker
On Mar 30, 2012

Thought Tweet #445 Better to anticipate and massage Situations than to spend business days fighting fires.

 

The Thinking Behind The Tweet

Many, if not most, Situations are predictable. Many, if not most, business People do not enjoy fighting fires. Yet, many business People's days are consumed by fires and fire-fighting...with Processes, with People, in Situations. For most People, fire-fighting kills self-esteem. That's why Napoleon Hill taught, "Plan Your Work and Work Your Plan".

Tags:

Business Contains Only 3 Things | Thought Tweets

Thought Tweet #444

by Rick Baker
On Mar 29, 2012

Thought Tweet #444 Strike while the iron is hot...Yes! - but first, learn how to recognize the signs of heat.

 

The Thinking Behind The Tweet

'Strike while the iron is hot'...we all know that means we must take advantage of opportunities before they vanish. 'Carpe diem', 'Seize the day', etc. Good advice. But how do we truly and accurately know the iron is hot? The few Blacksmiths who are still working have an advantage over other business people. When hot, their irons glow with heat and that glow provides to them clear and accurate visual cues. The Situations at hand contain vivid visual cues for the Blacksmiths. But - how do you know when your irons are hot?

Thought Tweet #443

by Rick Baker
On Mar 28, 2012

Thought Tweet #443 Written Goals don't just help you set your work-priorities, they help you define your personal Values.

 

The Thinking Behind The Tweet
Values, Purpose, Vision, Rules, & Goals are not discreet, stand-alone concepts. They are intertwined. For most People, they are iterative-too...gaining more clarity with time. When you boil business down, its essence is People, Process, & Situations. People come first. People bring with them 'Character'...which, for each person, is a summing up of his/her Values, Purpose, Vision, Rules, & Goals. 

Thought Tweet #438

by Rick Baker
On Mar 21, 2012

Thought Tweet #438 Negative thoughts happen when we resist 'what is'.

 

The Thinking Behind The Tweet

Negative emotions can hit us 'out of the blue' or 'in response to external stimuli'. When negative thoughts follow these negative emotions the negative thoughts are happening because we are resisting 'what is'.

Thought Tweet #423

by Rick Baker
On Feb 29, 2012

Thought Tweet #423 Confidence & Readiness go hand in hand.

 

The Thinking Behind The Tweet

"Readiness is aliveness. It is that spirit of alertness by which a situation is immediately grasped and dealt with. The observance of system fosters and develops the spirit." James Allen said that over 100 years ago. In our Spirited words - Confidence, Situation, Process ["system"]

When you are ready you are confident; when you are confident you are ready.


Tags:

Business Contains Only 3 Things | Thought Tweets | Values: Personal Values

Process - Uncrushing Creativity

by Rick Baker
On Feb 15, 2012

The word Process annoys many people.

Some feel Process locks them in closets and beats down their independence. Actually, the exact opposite is true.

So, when someone like me talks about the value of business Process...for these people, it's like I am throwing a wet blanket at them...Process turns some People off. I see that. I hear that. It is between the lines and it is the lines.

I want to help People get over their aversion to Process.

To succeed in my job, I must do that.

Why?

I will let W. Edwards Deming1, the extraordinary teacher who changed the world's auto sector, answer that question:

"If you can't describe what you are doing as a process, you don't know what you're doing."

And, I will expand on that a bit:

  1. Business Contains Only 3 Things: People, Process, & Situations [that's a Spirited philosophy]
  2. If you can't describe what you are doing as a Process, then you don't know what you're doing. [that's Deming's wisdom]
  3. Even if that Deming wisdom can be proven wrong on some occasions, if you can't describe what you are doing as a Process then you can't delegate to other People what you are doing.
  4. If you can't delegate to other People then you can't grow your business beyond the weight your single set of shoulders can bear.
  5. And - if you can't delegate to other People then you can't smoothly exit your business.

[Addendum - February 5th, 2013 - If you cannot delegate work-tasks to other People then, even if you do not want to exit, sooner or later you will hit the plateau where you will not be able to grow your business.]

On top of that, and of most importance, clearly defined Process helps People feel more comfortable and confident...making your workplace more harmonious, more satisfying, and more fun.
 
Process does not throttle creativity. The reverse is true. When the numerous repeated work-tasks are organized and well-defined People have two things that open the door for creativity: (1) they have more time to use their imagination and (2) they enjoy a more-positive frame of mind.
 
 
Footnote:
  1. Deming was visionary and he taught many people. For example, in his book 'The MasterMind Marketing System', Jay Abraham talked about what he had learned while working for Deming, in summary:
  • well-defined process is essential
  • process consists of finite elements
  • we must isolate and identify each element of every process
  • we must measure & monitor each element
  • we must compare each element against alternative: testing each with a view to enhancing and improving it
  • we must focus on the benefits each element provides 

Tags:

Business Contains Only 3 Things | Delegation & Decisions | Leaders' Thoughts | Seeking Simple!

Copyright © 2012. W.F.C (Rick) Baker. All Rights Reserved.