Efficiency, Productivity, Resourcefulness…
At the end of the day, we’re always looking to make things in business run smoother and faster while maximizing throughput and potential revenue. Henry Ford demonstrated that an industrial line is at its best when the fewest, but most repeatable actions take place. We’ve taken this logic and applied it to every facet of our professional environments. Our days and weeks develop to the point where we are maximally efficient, and then we master this level of performance with the ‘rinse and repeat’ mentality.
But is it a bad thing?
Not necessarily. Let’s face it. Things could certainly be worse than operating at consistently high levels. But we do lose out on some things in exchange for this output, and collaboration and creativity are high on the list. In manufacturing, a common rule of thumb is to only operate a machine (or system) at ~80% to allow time for preventative maintenance, inspection, repairs, and hopefully a smidge or more of bandwidth for questioning the process itself. This logic is generally unchallenged as it is understood that over-utilizing machinery will inevitably result in breakdowns and the potential to fall behind in new industry practices.
So why don’t we apply this logic?
Imagine if you could add 20% of your schedule for these things – what might your output look like over time versus the potential losses of over-utilization?
* Preventative maintenance – Keep your batteries charged, stay engaged and loyal to your business mission, remain creative and inspired!
* Inspection – Look inward; are you happy, healthy, proud of your recent accomplishments?
* Repairs – Recognize when it’s time to make time. Burnout or poor health carry a high cost!
* Questioning the Process – How often do you really look at your personal and business processes and ask, “Does this still make sense?” or “Is there a better way?”
None of this is entirely black and white, but it should be considered as you ‘rinse and repeat’ your career each day, week, month, year. If you were to dedicate 20% of your time to your ‘ruts’, just imagine what things might look like…
Kevin is VP of Operations with Guardian Protection Services in Hickory NC. He recently spoke with CCNG about these perspectives in light of managing and working-from-home for the past year or more. Take a listen….
Throughout Kevin’s career as a corporate operations leader, he has led business and strategic direction for long-term planning and process optimization. He has also developed teams sustaining success within high-volume sales and customer service companies. Kevin is the Vice President of Operations for Guardian Protection Products and a CCNG member.
