Logistics Management

Michael Regan

Time's a Wastin'
January 25, 2008

One of the things I love about my work is that I get to give a fair number of talks and meet lots of people every year. For example, this past week, I had the privilege of speaking at the Denver Traffic Club’s annual meeting, Operation Stimulus. The theme for the conference was sustainability, and my keynote address was “Building A Sustainable Career.”

One of the bullet points in the talk highlighted the need for individuals to make decisions. The reason this bullet point is so important is because fewer and fewer people are willing to stand up, accept accountability and make a decision. Instead of incurring the risk that the decision may not turn out the way it was planned, they engage in a phenomena that is rampant in corporate America. It’s called “Cover Your Assitis” – traditionally known as CYA, and it’s responsible for bogging down, or outright killing countless numbers of improvement and savings initiatives.

My dad was an entrepreneur, and he had numerous business quotes that reflected how he ran his business. One of his favorite quotes was: “When it is an emergency, you do it yourself; when it’s urgent, you delegate it; when it’s important, you form a committee and hold meetings. The problem with most businesses is that they can’t distinguish between emergencies and what’s important.”  I also saw some sage advice in a book that affirmed this wisdom: “Beware of committee meetings. It is where minutes are kept, and hours are wasted.” It also defined a committee as: “A group of people, composed of those who individually do not intend to do anything, who meet together to decide that nothing shall be done.” I have nothing against committees, but when you see companies take months and months to make a decision that could be decided and acted upon in thirty or forty-five days, it almost wants to make you want to stand up and shout: “Time’s a wastin; somebody, anybody make a decision!”

What does this have to do with your career? Well, let’s take a step back and ask a pointed question that you need to honestly answer: On a scale of 1 to 10, how much do you love  (not like) your job (with 10 being I absolutely love my job)? If you’re a 10, you can stop reading, this blog isn’t for you. But if you’re part of the 90+% who are 7 or lower, what are you doing to get a position that you could score a “10”?

And that is the point of this blog. When people either get out of the habit, or never acquire the habit of making difficult decisions, they can become complacent in their jobs, and instead of taking steps to better themselves, will rely on others or external forces to make those decisions for them. In essence, they are uncomfortable making decisions, so they choose the safest route even if it means that they stay and put up with all the garbage associated with their rotten, stinkin’ job.

Folks, when it comes to your career, there are no committees. Instead of waiting and waiting for your ship to come in, you need to decide where you want go, what you want do, and what it will take to get it done. And in case you’re pondering whether this makes sense, consider the reality that you’re not getting any younger. And that’s why I’d like to remind you….”Time’s a wastin’.”

By the way, if you’d like a copy of the Building A Sustainable Career presentation, let me know. Until next time.

TranzAct Technologies, Inc.

Posted by Michael Regan on January 25, 2008 | Comments (1)