Quote of the Day

Late last year, I wrote a quote on my whiteboard that I decided is a new rule to live by. As I cleaned off my board to start the new year, I knew I needed to keep this quote handy so that I could recall the wisdom it evokes.

“Poor Planning On Your Part Doesn’t Constitute An Emergency On Mine” -Adapted from a Proverb, via My Boss

This quote, for me in my role, isn’t so much about being a naysayer or trying to be the anti-team-player. It is really about reminding everyone that proper planning prevents poor performance (that other overloaded alliteration related to planning). As much as others may need the reminder, I know I need the reminder myself. Far too often, myself or my team, or our partners come up with last minute requests and then handcuff ourselves to “ASAP” as the rule for how soon we “need” to get it done. There is a time and a place for everything, and a sense of urgency is many times supremely helpful in time-sensitive communications or implementations. But we have to break away from the idea that this is the new norm. It all comes back to proper determination of what’s really important. I think a lot of us have a long way to go before we truly understand what’s important. And maybe it is only then that we will really start to be able to take this quote to heart.

Til Next Time,

Michael

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