Don’t Just Do Something
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Many of us remodelers started out wearing a toolbelt. Our progress was tangible at the end of the day: We could drop the toolbelt, stand back, and admire the fruit of that day’s labor.
We tend to carry that sort of attitude forward as we become desk jockeys. The more phone calls we can take, the more estimates and proposals we can prepare, the more fires we can put out, the more meetings we can accomplish in a day, the better we feel. We make a to-do list and check these items off.
We’re still very production-focused. Plan the work and work the plan. Now we just admire our checked-off list instead of a framed wall.
... which is why I was inspired by the second book I read on my recent vacation was, Helping People Win at Work: A Business Philosophy Called "Don’t Mark My Paper, Help Me Get an A,” by Ken Blanchard and Garry Ridge. Like all of Blanchard’s books, it’s an easy read, but as with the first in his “Leading at a Higher Level” series, it aims higher…and hits the target.
Here’s one of my favorite takeaways from the book, a quote from Ridge, CEO of WD-40 Company:
"I would love for people to have a sign on their desk that says, ‘Don’t just do something – sit there!’”
That thinking (fleshed out in the book) is a bit of a slap in the face to us production fiends.
Busy Does Not Equal Productive. Production Does Not Equal Progress.
I’m often asked if I miss working with my hands and building things. Yes, I do, but I’ve found joy and satisfaction in building a company instead of family room additions. And yes, sometimes that building a company requires me to resist the temptation to just do something. And to just sit there instead. So I’ve taken Mr. Ridge’s advice:
“Continually planning and executing without the value of review and learning could blindside you with what we call a typhoon – a destructive event…. Since we don’t want that to happen, it is important to take time to pause, review progress, and look for any learning – whether or not a mistake has been made.”
My advice to remodelers: If necessary, write “Sit, Review, Learn” on your calendar. Then check it off and feel like you’ve done something.
A personal message: If you've gotten anything out of my blogs, benefitted in any way, I'd greatly appreciate it if you'd support me in my efforts for cancer research. I'll be riding my bicycle 192 miles, over two days, in the Pan Mass Challenge on August 1st & 2nd. To donate, click here: http://www.pmc.org/profile/GA0026. Last year's PMC raised $35 million for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. This year we have fewer riders and generally shallower pockets, so I'm making an extra effort to help close the gap. Thank you.
Greg Antonioli is the president of Out of the Woods Construction & Cabinetry, a Massachusetts design/build firm that is committed to open-book management, a team-driven approach to decision-making, and a great relationship with homeowner clients. He blogs for REMODELING every Monday.