The Cost of Ignoring Bad or No Process
Unnecessary Cost Centre's Are Missed Opportunities For Cohesion
It has been super irritating... Every time I write notes I take a photo of them on my phone and upload it to my Evernote for filing. But, the process hasn't been working lately. If it does work, it doesn't sync with my other devices. My initial response was to try a few work around's - take the photo inside Evernote, or share the photo through the Photo App into Evernote, or to pile up my notes and put my head in the sand (that didn't work well at all by the way...)
Eventually, I stopped everything I was doing and attacked the problem. I had a few options:
I needed to find another app or process to use. I was not enthusiastic about this as I have a huge library built up in Evernote and it is integrated into a lot of my other systems.
I needed to contact Evernote and get them to help me with a problem in the platform.
I needed to get support from my phone supplier.
I needed to troubleshoot myself.
I decided to do number 4 - a dreaded experience for a person who has a tenuous relationship with anything tech. After turning the phone on-and-off, looking for updates, and checking settings, I eventually deleted the app off my phone, reinstalled it, logged in and tried it. To my delight (and surprise) it worked. In the end, it was 10 minutes well spent.
To recap, I had compromised my business and spent a lot of time being irritated by this problem. A high cost for a business where the individual delivering the service (me) needs to be at their best to deliver value. When faced, the fix took very little time or resource.
So, why did I allow this to happen? Why did I struggle for so long? The answer is that I didn't stop and admit there was a problem. I did not admit the cost? And, I did not admit the need that I had to do something about it. I fell into the trap that I mentor and coach my client leaders around - being "too busy" is for amateurs.
Hugh Mackay, the famous Australian Social Researcher, calls busy'ness "The great mass affliction", and see's being busy as a form of running away from introspection and reflection. Recently, he was interviewed about the effect of Covid-19 on our communities and he said,
"it's not such a bad thing that we are being forced to rethink... perhaps coming out of this we will say 'well I realise that I didn't have to be so busy'. In the same way that as I didn't need to do all that travel or all of those things that have been full of escape from relationships or introspection, or doing my bit for building social cohesion..."
The idea that we are too busy to engage with processes that do not work (or are non-existent) is not only causing friction in our everyday lives, but it is a missed opportunity for thinking, analysing, understanding, and creating a platform to improve working relationships. If you want to get to know each other more during this time, work on a long outstanding problem together. In my books, it beats having meetings about each other's dog's names. Don't get me wrong - getting to know a bit about each other's lives is important, but actively solving shared problems together is also a productive and enjoyable way to deepen our cohesion.
It also lowers all sorts of costs to our businesses - something no one can take for granted at these times. I learnt that 10 minutes sorting out my app was a good investment and there was no good reason to live with this problem for a few months. In your team, what process are you putting up with and using the 'we're too busy' cop out for? And, how much is it costing? This is critical to answer so a business case can be built to gain investment should it be required.
Acknowledging these frictions could be a quick win for the business, for your culture, and for the daily experience you and your people have at work.
