Working out

Quality is business is kinda like an exercise program.

Or maybe even good oral hygiene.

Or perhaps housekeeping.

All have a single thing in common:  Discipline. 

My daughter wakes up at 4AM.  She has a couple tasks to perform:  Dress, put her hair up, and eat breakfast.  She does these and has time to help make mom's lunch and a few other things.  She is out the door at 4:45 AM.

That's in the morning.

My daughter is 9.

What role do I play in this?  Am I knocking on her door at 3:30 with the soft wake-up call?  Is her mom pounding on the door at 3:50 with the last chance call to action?

No.  Generally, we hear her tap on the bedroom door reminding us to get up and drive her to the rink.

She is a figure skater.  It is what she loves to do.  She also loves to draw, search for fairies, dress up cats and have fashion shows with her puppies.  We nearly had a meltdown when she couldn't get on netflix the other day. 

That didn't seem to match, did it?  A motivated kid shouldn't want to watch movies on netflix all the time. They should be motivated and engaged all the time. 

A kid is a kid.  We help her, she learns stuff, and she keeps doing things.  We encourage things we like, discourage things we don't, and try to level the field. 

So, how does this match the business space?  Do you know where your policies and procedures are kept?  My kid knows where her skates are.  Do you know the status of your projects?  My kid knows what moves she is working on.  Do you have a budget in place and are you tracking it?  My kid knows what she is practicing and how much more she needs to do to have her routine ready. 

What I am trying to say:  If you are continuously fighting fires, you aren't gaining any momentum.  It's because you don't have discipline.  Stop fighting fires, work deliberately on a plan that establishes / re-establishes a foundation. 

Working out 15 minutes on New Years Day is not going to get you ready for a marathon.  It isn't even going to prepare you for a full day of yardwork.

Flossing the day after you have your annual cleaning isn't going to help your gums stay healthy and stave off heart disease.

Making the bed just after you wash the sheets isn't going to make the house ready when you have guests over. 

Discipline.