This is the Last Time

 After the last two weeks I am ready to make a huge change, more on this later. After a failed attempt to get a school group project off the ground and then a print job with a hard deadline gone terribly wrong, I came to the realization I need to make some changes.

Standing in the crowded UPS store waiting for the print job, while the understaffed single employee jostled phone calls, customers, and my print job, I knew that I had made a poor management decision. I knew I had to make a change. The 20-minute job took almost 2 hours. Standing there I quickly made time adjustments in my head. Ok, if I don’t wash my hair and skip dinner, I can still make it. I was able to squeal into the training event just in time, but I made up my mind to never make those same mistakes again. 

I keep hearing from executives and business owners that the new global economy is forcing them to have to do more with less. I absolutely get it. Managers are feeling hopeless, but there is a way. As companies continue to lean, there is a way you can still grow. Because your capacity to grow as a company is directly related to the capacity of your team. The greatest tools and software will not increase your capacity if your team has reached its limit. Think about it, what makes a great organization? It’s not the walls or the hardware or the fancy decorations. It’s the team.
 
If you and your team have reached your limit, try these tips to increase your capacity.

1. Take a moment. Stress clogs your thinking and reduces your ability to find a timely solution. It is always amazing to me to watch how the solutions materialize during Mastermind groups and Executive coaching moments, when people are free to explore their thoughts without outside distractions. The answer was there all the time. It was just hidden by a myriad of unhelpful thoughts. Know that there is an answer or direction, you just need to unearth it.
2. Resist the urge to blame. Blaming others for where you are takes precious time away from finding a solution. This is far easier said than done. This is why I ended up at the UPS store when I should have been preparing for the training. I blamed others for the problem and lost that precious time to think through to a better solution. With precious time moving forward I made the terrible mistake of defaulting to a time intensive method I almost never use for print jobs.
3. Trust your team. Mistakes are a part of living. Learning from them is optional. If the team makes a blunder--and they will-- and so will you. Teach them to learn and move on. The faster you and your team learns, recovers, and re-configures the move forward, the more you and your team will increase your capacity for accomplishing more with less.
4. Delegate. My default is to do it myself. This is not wise at all in a team situation and I had a rude awakening standing in the crowded UPS store. I had taken on a job that wasn’t mine and it took time I didn’t have to do something I had no business doing. Ask yourself, “What are the things that only you can do?” A team that is micromanaged will never grow to its full capacity. Focus on doing well what only you can do and empower your team to do what they can do. 
5. Keep your mind in the present. The past is over and the only good it can do moving forward is that it brought awareness to a need for change. Wallowing in the faults of the past will slow you and your team in the race to the finish line. Remain in the present and future because that is where you are and where your present needs will materialize. 

 
The good news is that awareness allows you to make positive changes to your future. 


Live Awesomely,
Angela Decoteau (Deck-uh-toe)
Success Strategist, Awesome Activator
Encourage . Equip . Empower