One is better than Zero!

We have heard countless number of times that take the first step after which you can start building an empire. All goods things you see around you and in history always started with only one step, one decision, one word, basically, ONE! I still sometimes get haunted when looking at a monstrous task and thinking how the hell am I going to finish this enormous task, of changing the entire production work flow, of changing the entire marketing campaign, or anything as such. We simply need to take a step back, breath and see what can I do for this enormous task TODAY, and do that much. Once the momentum picks up, you will see yourself knocking down tasks at such a speed, you never realised it would be this easy.

1.      Why?

“Saying this is much easier than doing it.” But that’s the whole point here, when I am looking at changing our entire production work flow, I am thinking of the pain areas, think of the WHY? Why do you want to change the work flow? Increasing efficiencies, reducing wastage, reducing throughput time and many more. So these “WHY”s become your reason that you can always refer back to, which give you and your team the motivation of ploughing through. Like I said, ONE step, so the first step being is writing down your WHYs.

The next step is your HOW. This is the most daunting experience for most people, but do not get worried, once you are finished with this, you will look back to this and next time around with walk through this with ease. Again, take a step back, write down what needs to be done and as it simple as it just sounds – JUST DO IT! Take the first step – even if it’s a small one

2.      Plan

Break your plan down in simple and easy steps and WRITE IT DOWN. The moment you write down a list of things to do, you can work faster, be focused on the tasks at hand and have small achievements when you get done with item number 1 on the list. Keep your list very simple and achievable goals and if the goals require for you to delegate some tasks, immediately start jotting down names next to a task that you will need help on. The reason you need to write down your plan is so it easy to access, you can write it on your phone as well, but I tend to enjoy writing it in my planner or a paper which stays on my desk until the entire project is complete. Writing it on paper also gives you a nice sense of satisfaction when you actually cross off or put a tick mark next to the task.

3.      Changes happen

Once you have started to knock down those tasks one by one, you might come up to a point and realise that the list you made needs to be slightly changed but the end goal being the same, don’t worry about it, it happens to the best of us. You should be comfortable in being able to take a decision to change your plan to ensure that the final end goal is met on time and in the best way possible. In fact, I feel like if you do feel like there are some changes that need to done, it’s actually a good thing, it means you are deep in your project and are wading the waters one foot at a time, making sure you don’t miss a step which could potentially cost you more time or resources later on. Don’t worry, changes happen, just make sure the end goal has to be attained on time.

4.      Delegate

We are all experts in our own fields, there are times that some jobs are just better done by someone else rather than yourself, and there are times when there is someone whose job it is to do certain tasks. You need to learn how to delegate, do not have the mentality of thinking that ‘I can do it better than anybody else’ it WILL NOT HELP you reach far. There are times when you feel this, and possibly might be right, BUT you need to look at how you spend your time. Some tasks can be done by another person in your team, while you can be focussing on knocking down another task which could be more in your forte or which could be more complicated. Do not be shy to delegate. Talk and discuss with people on your team and make them understand your end goal, they might have other jobs to do, but once you make them understand the end goal, they will also be willing and motivated to put in their time to assist you. Please note, even if it is their job, if you just communicate with them on the end goal, the motivation they shall get knowing what they are doing this task for will make the tasks finish faster and better.

5.      Celebrate

We all celebrate differently, a dinner with the team, a night out, a weekend out, maybe lunch? Look at what you and your team love to do together, and just do it. You must make sure you celebrate though and involve the team. Everyone must understand that the job well done has been recognised and appreciated, with that, naturally, everyone get even more motivated to overcome the next problem, target or whatever else comes in front of all of you.

Let me know if you need to discuss anything – I’m available on Whatsapp +255682777666 and email on [email protected]

Until next time… Be STRONGER!