Archives for September 2009

1. You rely on an external technology vendor who has never come to you with suggestions on how to improve quality, increase production or enhance customer service
2. Your internal technology team has never come to you with suggestions on how to improve quality, increase production or enhance customer service
3. You ask your tech people for something new and they respond quickly “the system doesn’t provide that”
4. The last time you had any training on the programs that you use was when they were installed
5. You only use the standard reports that came with the system
6. You are entering data from reports or screens into spreadsheets
7. There is only one (or two) people in your company who really know how the program works
8. You installed the programs yourself and then figured out how to use them on your own
9. When something doesn’t work your people say “there is something wrong with their (the software company’s) program”
10. You haven’t installed any available upgrades in years

We live and work in a world of ever-increasing distraction… Email, text messaging, instant messaging, Twitter, Facebook – they all call out for our attention. Unmanaged, they represent constant interruptions with obvious impacts on productivity.
Consider that it takes anywhere from a few minutes to over 10 minutes to recover from an interruption (depending on who you ask). And multi-tasking isn’t the answer either. John Medina points out in his book Brain Rules that “Multitasking, when it comes to paying attention, is a myth.” Articles in the WSJ and on NPR agree.

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Early in my career I tried to start an independent consulting practice… Emphasis on the word ‘tried.’ One of the primary reasons this didn’t work out so well, is that I did not have a Business Confidant. I needed someone I could trust who was objective and could understand what I was going through; someone with experience who could provide perspective, guidance, encouragement and accountability. I learned from my mistake. When I started Janssen Consulting a few years back, I made sure to have such a Business Confidant and it has made a significantly positive difference. I have learned that while I can act in this role for others, I cannot do it for myself.

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