Just because you inherit something...

As a kid, I used to dream that I had a long-lost family member who would leave me all their worldly possessions and I would inherit riches.?

I’m pretty sure most of us dream of that inheritance, similar to Duck Tales or the Inheritance Game.?

We want to imagine that all of our problems would go away and be solved by some person we never knew.?

It’s a cool dream, I guess.?

?

And for some people, they may actually inherit their dreams.

But for most of us…there is no long-lost family member or some crazy uncle who left us this dream.

If we are lucky, we will inherit a family dresser or maybe a signed baseball.

?

Our vision of inheritance is so clouded by our belief that we inherit positive things…wealth, homes, antiques, or even a car (or two!).??

Yet, we don’t hear much about the things we inherit that cause more problems.?

I’ve had friends inherit their family home just to discover it is full of junk and most of it is destroyed.

It is even worse when the family member hoards all their belongings.?

I’ll hear horror stories about inheritance that turn out to be more work than it is worth.?

I bring this up because, time and time again, I work with a team that inherited old processes, inherited old supplies, and inherited old files and forms.?

They inherit these things and then somehow start to defend them and hold them in a space to be preserved or protected, without taking a second to question if they work in the first place.?

Inherited processes can cause all kinds of problems.?

Recently, I worked with a team that inherited a form that required people to fill it out and print it out at home.?

I asked the team, “Do any of you own a printer?”?

All but one of the team members smirked.?

???And said, “No.”

This week, we found a checklist and a form that was created in 2009.?

Holding on to these remnants as the “status quo” wreaks havoc on our team's ability to make positive changes to their services.?

The idea that we would hold on to these relics in memorial of times that have passed is astonishing to me.?

If you’ve been online in the past 5 years, you’re probably aware of Marie Kondo's philosophy:

???"If it doesn't spark joy, discard it."

In that same vein, I want to challenge you to take a closer look at all the stuff you are using to get your job done.?

Does it still provide value??

???If not, get rid of it.??

Is it time to change that intake form from 2009??

Is it time to update the phone numbers and email addresses in your system??

Remember. Just because you inherited it. Doesn’t mean it has value.?

Most of the things we inherit need to be cleaned out and updated.?

So keep what's valuable and get rid of the rest.?

Need some help in updating your inherited processes? Drop me a line