Pareto Principle (80/20 Rule) applied to real life.
The macro buttons I normally used in an Excel add-in disappeared one day. I tried a number of fixes before reaching out to a colleague. Through investigation the mystery was solved. It appears the UI was changed from one release to the next. Confirming the change with someone else provided the critical insight to move forward with the process. An external sanity check was the critical help to move my work forward.
I was learning a process in an application. After receiving several errors, I opened another application to attempt the process. The transaction processed without problems and I demonstrated my own learning while testing the system. Trying one more solution instead of giving up when the process didn’t work uncovered application errors and increased my technical proficiency simultaneously. My learning was at least doubled with negligible additional effort.
Here’s a suggestion I heard that I’ve also experienced. If you spend an hour playing checkers with your kid, the next time you tell them to stop doing something they will listen to you. If you don't spend time with your kids they will wonder who the stranger is giving them orders. This same concept is generally applicable to all relationships. If you cultivate the relationship, it makes the person more receptive to you.
I called a political representative to let my voice be heard. I wrote down the number and it took maybe five minutes to leave a message for my representative. The hardest part was getting the phone number. Once I had the phone number I was mostly out of excuses. If you want to be heard, pick up the phone.
I wanted to try a hair product so I purchased it at a local store. I used it twice before deciding that it just didn't work for me. Because I kept my receipt I was able to quickly return the used product for a full refund. This allowed me to try a product at no cost to me and return it easily. Often an official trial or sample is not available for a product. Get creative in testing a product before committing to it. One or two uses of the product gave me all the insight I needed. No amount of online research or asking others could give me that quick and complete insight.
I organized work so I could participate in my kid's birthday party. My family had one of the best birthdays ever together. The kids were so happy. It wasn't any one thing we did, just that we spent the day together at the water park. And my work got done later, just fine.
I listened to a colleague on how to approach some involved training just rolled out to the organization. Access problems were happening with the system and she provided notes and links to put me on the fast track to completion. With her tips I finished in less than half the time required by others.
My organization has a quarterly performance/bonus review. Previously I was making unorganized notes for myself when I received praise or did something extra at work. I had the idea to use the review form as a template. Today I helped someone senior to me and felt the effort and results were worth capturing. After reviewing the categories, one of them jumped out as the place where I could record this. Because the event was so fresh in my mind I was able to tailor my accomplishment for the category and the record will be there when performance reviews roll around. Plus, I won't have to try to remember how or why something was important to put it in context later. As a broader lesson, when you have a recurring task, consider using the final version as a template for gathering future information. It cuts out much of the formatting and processing and reduces the total effort required. People will think you are super productive when you can produce such polished reports at a moment’s notice.
I was trying to use a spreadsheet template for a process and kept failing. Finally I started the process from scratch and succeeded. Templates are great. But before you use a template, make sure it fits the intended task. Sometimes you will spend more time in total by applying the wrong template first instead of creating something from scratch. Do a quick check first to ensure your template fits your task. This reminds me of the saying - think before you act.
I'm super tired today due to poor sleep, but I just kept doing one more thing. It turned into a highly productive day. One step can turn into ten by just thinking about one step at a time. Whether exhausted, demoralized, or just unclear on direction, taking the next step in front of you and not thinking about the whole project can put you further down the path than you expected at the end of the day.
I reused content from a product user guide to write four reports today. It would have taken me days or weeks to come up with the content and summaries without the user guide. I focused on the objective of the exercise which was to answer some customer questions with general information about the product. Because the expectations were set, there was no need to craft perfect answers. I gave the minimum necessary responses to address the questions. As a result I knocked out four polished reports with minor additions from my own knowledge. Those who have reviewed the reports have already been impressed.
If someone wants a reason to cut you they will find one. I know a guy that was rookie of the year for a large company one year and for business reasons had his position cut the next. You must give people stronger reasons to work with you than without you. Finding what makes you indispensable is essential to protecting yourself. Even once you've found it, it's not a guarantee.
I filled in a spreadsheet right after it was given to me regarding what it would take to deliver on some customer requirements. During a later team call I gave my brief analysis based on the spreadsheet. I also asked several questions to give me the understanding I needed to fulfill my duties. After the call my boss and two other senior people reached out to tell me what a great job I did. The funny thing is I probably only spent 30 minutes preparing the spreadsheet for the call. Yet my results were clearly perceived as an outsized contribution to the team.
During a conversation about my learning plan my boss was expressing concern about how much time I was planning for each module. I sensed her concern about completing all learning prior to customer meetings. Once I identified the core concern, the conversation quickly resolved. My boss just wanted to hear that I was on board with presenting to customers near term. Reminding her of my successful certifications and stating that I was ready to go on customer meetings without my learning plan is all she needed to hear. One concern was more than 80% of the call.
I received an invite to a meeting that was completely unexpected and unfamiliar. So I called and asked the organizer. She told me a different person was the intended invitee. No meeting necessary for me. Time and energy saved! The default in corporate life is to accept and attend meetings. You should always ask whether you need to attend a meeting, even your own.
During a project I received a bunch of customer questions. During my review I had a general but important impression. A single conversation between the sales rep and the customer would go a long way toward removing a significant amount of work from my entire team. One conversation could eliminate days or even weeks of work and save thousands of dollars. Communication is one of our most valuable tools. Use it well.
I didn't understand the jargon around a technical process, specifically the difference between two concepts. By reading the instructions and explanatory notes at the end, I made the crucial connection. While I understood the concepts separately, the distinction became clear once properly defined. In this case, understanding the definitions of the terminology gave me the total understanding of the entire process. With understanding complete, I soon mastered the process.
If you want to have a special day, choose to make it special. An easy method to accomplish this is to identify several things for which you are grateful. Not only do you not have time to feel bad, but intentionally identifying those things for which you are grateful will enrich all the time you do have.
I needed to learn a responsibility at work. By sticking to the instructions and persisting through several software errors, I learned the proper steps of the process. During this process I took notes on how I understood each step. Writing down the steps as I understood them helped solidify the process in my mind and gave me greater comfort that I both understand and have learned it. The additional touch point of writing and summarizing can be enough to memorize a new process after the first exposure.
Today I’m going to give you a technique for organizing your communication – 3T (Triple Tell) method.
Tell them what you're going to say. Tell them. Tell them what you just told them.
This is a universal communication technique and applying it to any presentation will provide critical structure. The message will be easier to follow and more memorable. This is an incredibly effective and easy tool to improve any speech or presentation.
I just gave you a universal template for communication, the 3T method. Communicate well.