Right FIT Newsletter #206: Future stuff, Hiring, Long drives

GREG’S BUSINESS GROWTH NEWSLETTER #206
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Quick notes to help you grow your business in less time with less effort. . . sometime next week.

In this issue:

– Techniques for FIT
– Being Human
– Random Stuff

Techniques for FIT
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• Unknown: i.e. the future. I just read a headline “Economists Got the Decade All Wrong. They’re Trying to Figure Out Why.” I know why. We humans are terrible at predicting the future. Pick a path but be flexible.
• Remember to forget your beliefs about people from your past. This time of year people complain about visiting family because your family rarely forgets their beliefs about you. The lazy little sister who became a CEO? Still someone’s lazy little sister. Re-evaluate your beliefs from time to time.
  

• Undoing memories is hard because we believe the stories we tell ourselves. I’m reminded of this when talking to my mother. Check the self-talk about who you are and what you believe is true. Especially if it’s negative.
• Next week, check your 2020 plan with flexibility in mind. Every day that goes by next month will alter hwo you think 2020 should end. It’s good to have a clear destination but give yourself enought time and space to change direction if needed. My gift to you.

Being Human – Shortcuts to finding the right person
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“Make no mistake about why these babies are here – they are here to replace us.” Jerry Seinfeld

I mentioned my hiring project a few weeks back because it’s been a while since I’ve managed someone’s hiring process. The more people I talk to, the more memories get dredged up from my subconscious about hiring, managing, and firing. Some of the memories are pleasant, but some are cringe-worthy. At one point while working for an aggressive startup I figure nearly 1000 people came and went through my office between those 3 activities in a 2 year period. Quick lessons learned (in no particular order):

• The future is unknown.
• People change.
• Stay in touch.

I can fill an entire workshop with stories on each topic, but for the sake of time, here are my remedies for the 3 lessons.

• Create a hiring algorithm. Stick to it.
• Don’t confuse activity with results, but manage to activity.
• Build bench strength outside the organization. Things change.

If you’re like most companies in this period of low unemployment, you have open positions plus 15-20% of your staff can be replaced if someone better comes along. It sounds obvious, but it’s easier to double your growth rate with no open positions, full commitment to your staff, and with a strong bench. Get to it.

Random stuff
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Long drives

Have I mentioned I was a history major? I was led to hisory by the reading, the storytelling, and the writing all being worthwhile endeavors. . .plus it was my future bride’s major. Anyway, if the study of history hammers anything home it’s the idea that our human ability to pass knowledge and insights from one generation to the next helps separate us from the monkeys. I didn’t need to invent the phone to make calls, I get to ride on the back of someone else’s genius.

I bring this up because I am a fan of long car rides. I don’t know how much longer I’ll feel this way, but right now, I like the idea of loading up the truck and hitting the road. Some of the appeal is forced conversation, like when I have one of my three children trapped in the car with me for 6-8 hours. Other times the appeal is the chance for easy conversation with old friends for hours on end, catching up on the ups and downs in their lives. Every once in a while it’s simply good to be alone.

What isn’t as much fun is having to power through a drive the day after being over-served. This was the topic of conversation at a Christmas party with an old friend who told me that he plans for travel issues such as this and adds in an extra day for travel. “If everyone’s leaving town on Sunday, I know we’re going out late on Saturday night,” he says, “so, I just change my travel plans to Monday morning so I’m not hung over.”

This is knowledge past-Greg would have found useful a few weeks ago.

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