The Straw House Maker, Carpenter, Mason and Meteorologist

We are already three weeks into October and for me it feels as if October 2^nd was last week. I have been getting overwhelmed with the pace of projects and customer requests as of late.  I think getting slammed fits the bill a bit better. I know for myself, I respond by paying a little more attention to my to-do list, my task list and by putting in some extra time in the morning to get a head start and then in the evening to attend to any loose ends. I know that putting in the time helps, but my response is typically the same. I find that my mindset in responding to the needs of others is rooted in wanting to be better; better in responding, in turning around projects, in basically just meeting the demands of all of my customers, both internal and external.

I think that we all have basic skill sets that we innately do well. In times that we are stressed to do more, I think we to try to optimize what we can accomplish and it is natural for us to subconsciously rely on those things we do well in order to step up our game. I think with experience, many of us recognize that we have comfort zones that we can operate within rather effectively, at least in our own minds. I tend to respond in an analytical way at times when tackling problems. This works for projects that don’t require an extremely rapid turnaround.  However, if I am trying to turnaround something that is extremely time sensitive, I am predisposed of not being able to respond quickly enough because of my subconscious way of thinking. I know many people who are just the opposite that can respond quickly to projects which require a quick assessment of the big factors and then are able to make quick decisions in response to the project.

There is quite a bit of modern management training that is intended to give us tools to help us develop alternate ways of thinking which don’t come naturally to us. In essence to allow the Mason to build houses like the straw house fabricator and vice versa. I think that most of us can switch modes in how we operate and do so with some level of effectiveness. The difficulty still lies in our own personal proficiency in these areas.

I have historically always responded to the increased demands of my job of trying to be  better at building straw houses and wooden houses because then I can respond better to the different types of demands. Recently it occurred to me that maybe my ability to build a straw house, a wood house or a brick house is adequate enough. Maybe knowing when each is appropriate is more useful. If I were a better meteorologist, I would know when I need to build a brick, wood or straw house based on whether I needed to prepare against a category one, category two or category five wolf.

–Robert 954-523-1957 ext. 32