Right FIT Newsletter #240 – Failure/Success, Uncertainty, Drills

GREG’S BUSINESS GROWTH NEWSLETTER #240
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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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• Do you think success is earned? What about failure? During the pandemic we hear stories of businesses shutting down despite heroic effort. Conversely, there are stories of businesses enjoying record results. There’s a reason the goddess Fortuna carries both a cornucopia and a scepter.
• Do you celebrate the average performers in your organization? Statistically, most of the people in your organization are in the middle of the bell curve. Lift this group’s performance a fraction and enjoy big results.

• Judging by my interactions this past week, it’s not out of the question to begin preparing for a long winter. I don’t mean stocking up the cupboards. I am thinking about ours and out people’s mental fortitude. How will you prepare?
• “Bit up and down,” he said. We tend to imagine others are getting along much better than they are. If you are a “bit up and down” right now, there’s a good chance others are too.

Being Human – Dealing with uncertainty
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“It’s always darkest. . .before everything falls apart.”

Part of the planning process is imagining outcomes. Humans are naturally optimistic and good outcomes are easy to come up with. It’s harder to imagine the worst case scenario. When we ask, “what is the worst case?” it’s not unusual to be met with a response bordering on superstition.

“Oh, let’s not even go there,” a client says to me.

When pressed, he tries to brush me off again, “we know what the worst case is,” before we get back on track.

I understand his reluctance but don’t agree with his assumption if we spend time putting bad ideas in our head, bad outcomes will happen. The way to deal with uncertainty is to think through, and plan for, at least three outcomes before starting.

For example, think about hiring a new person. The clearer we are on expectations before they begin, the easier it is to manage their performance. We’ll know if we’re on track, above expectations, or below performance minimums. Without scenarios, we get distracted and start justifying unwanted behaviors.

It requires investing more effort up front, but pays off in better performance over time.

Good stuff.

Random stuff
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If 10 is good, 20 is better

I am keeping busy with random backyard projects. This time it’s a gate that sticks. I can see what’s happening. The gate is hinged to a post attached to the in-ground post. Those two posts have warped over the years. Not much mind you, but they are warping in different directions forcing the gate to stick. I got this.

This is the kind of thing I work on while watching NBA games. Searching the interwebs looking for the right combination of keywords to unlock the tool/bolt needed. I find it hiding under joists. I double check the width needed and place my order. It’s a self-tapping bolt and once through the two posts, I put on a locking end-nut and it will squeeze everything together.

The bolt arrives exactly as described but I have a problem. My little drill isn’t powerful enough to push the bolt through. Home Depot has a solution. A big, beefy 20V cordless drill. Brushless, whatever that means. I don’t need all this power, but whatever. I want it. It’s so strong when I go to tighten the bit, which I usually do by holding the built-in chuck and hitting the power, it rips the skin off my hand. Power!

Now wearing gloves, I get over and cinch the posts together. Zip, zip, zip, zip. Done in 15 minutes. The gate swings freely. I stand there and try it once. Twice. I call to my lovely bride, making her find me through the now unsticking gate. She takes note and approves. We admire it swinging shut with a satisfying *click.*

We leave town the same day. Quick trip with the neighbors checking in on Baby Bianca the cat. They call us the next morning. Bad news. Someone got into our garage. No problem, I think, the garage doesn’t lead to the house. Nothing missing from what the neighbors see. Bikes, golf clubs, fishing gear all there.

I inspect the damage when we get back. Only one thing gone. My new power drill. Bag, battery and everything. If you see it on ebay, trust them, it’s like new. Lightly used.

I guess the sticking gate was serving a purpose after all.

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