Monthly Archives: February 2012

Following up on my promise from the last issue, this month I am skimming a bit further below the surface of ways to work smarter.

1. Don’t just say that you are going to think and act strategically, actually schedule time for it, just as you would a commitment to someone else.

2. Replace habits that are no longer serving you well. Why not set an appointment to check your email at 10am, rather first thing in the morning when it can distracting you from your day before it even gets started?

3. Step back from the tasks at hand and identify the process that it is part of. These seemingly spontaneous tasks that arrive are probably highly predictable if you look over the walls to see what is triggering them.

4. Don’t wait for the perfect opportunity when everything will be just right. Instead, get started and improve it from there.

5. Remember my saying “Don’t fire Bob, or by a tool. Instead, begin by improving the process.” Anything else is just treating the symptoms.

6. Motivate others by making measurable progress achievable. Punishing anything less than perfection demotivates and causes people to shut down.

7. Focus strategically on value and outcomes, not tasks and inputs.

8. Don’t make investment decisions on behalf of the customer. Instead, provide them with options.

9. Recognize that your true value is not in the tasks that you perform, but in the results that you achieve.


…And another thing
Anyone can cut your grass or clean your house, but only you can bring your unique value to the people that care about you. Make sure you target results that are sufficiently high value.

Sometimes potential clients meet me and tell me they want me to deliver a report. I ask them how thick? You can buy 500 pages from business depot for just a few bucks, and that is double sided. All you need to do is apply a staple.

They quickly realize that they don’t need a report. What they usually need is help making a decision or influencing others.

What are you doing to maximize your value? 

© Wayne McKinnon 2012. All rights reserved.