My Obsession with Efficiency

In the summer of 2003 I made a decision that when I grew up I wanted to be the CEO of the world’s greatest aerospace company. I made this huge life decision after a 3 month assignment in a position that was supposed to be my future ended up being a bust. My motivation for wanting to be CEO was I felt my need to leave a mark on this world. I had recently lost my father rather suddenly and thought I had to commit myself to being remembered. Hopefully you can see this wasn’t a decision I took lightly. I changed my mind 2 years later and thought being the CEO was as hopeless as me being an astronaut.

What happened? I got a lucky crack at a position in management. I had a dozen great people on my team. The team was diverse in their backgrounds, skill set and thought. I loved working with them. I hated having them work for me. This was the first time I really started to see the inefficiencies in others. How could I not notice? Their performance would determine my success in the position. The observations were not limited to my group, but also the groups which delivered a product to us and those to which we delivered our product (we worked on an airplane assembly line). It’s ok though, because that realization helped me change my “what I want to be when I grow up” goal. Since then that goal is to develop the future leaders of the world’s greatest aerospace company.

The rationalization came to me on a flight from Dallas to Los Angeles. I sat next to a guy who fathered a baby with a woman that he had been dating. He lived in LA and she lived in Dallas, but they committed to making it work. This guy was just like me (not the baby part). He could talk you through an exciting story like a rollercoaster and get you to want to hold on for the ride. Then he told me about how he acted around his newborn daughter. He told me how his time with her was only about her. He turned off the TV, the phone, and put away anything else that could distract him. I realized in order to get more of that quality time there needed to be some level of efficiency in everything else we do. That’s why I push to be so efficient, so that I can enjoy those priceless moments.

Unfortunately over the past few months my hair has been on fire and my own personal efficiency has been crap. I was reminded of this when I got to meet my new niece earlier this month (pictured above - only 3 weeks old at the time). I need to get back in the game so I don't miss those moments.

I’ve got some great ideas I’ve compiled on how we can be more effective and I’ll share them here. These items range from email to meetings and communication. This isn’t just about being organized; it’s about being efficient with the time we have to feel the biggest ROI. What are your thoughts on how your time is consumed?

The Choice to Be Happy

As this blog comes back to life, I’m going to challenge you, but before we get to that point we need to level set. I need you to understand the options you have available to you in life.

Last month I had lunch with my friend Kenny, who used to work for me when I was a manager in aircraft operations. He’s probably about 15 years older than me and when we worked together I was probably only 25. We’ve always been real candid with each other and that’s probably why our friendship fostered. We didn’t always see eye-to-eye, but that didn’t stop either of us from letting the other know our view on the world. I liked my ideas to be challenged, it made me stronger.

The lunch conversation went very differently than one would have back then. Kenny used to see himself with a pessimistic view on things. This time however, I would propose an idea, doubt it and Kenny would jump in and say “why not.” He kept encouraging me to find the possibility in my ideas. Keep in mind I’m not a pessimist. Kenny told me how his perspective changed a lot over the years due to my attitude. He told me “if something bad happens, I just realize that’s how it was meant to be and I’d deal with it. Getting upset doesn’t help the situation.” I’m a rather big optimist, but it didn’t hurt having Kenny remind me that we always have the option of making the choice to be happy.

Thanks to social media we have the ability to interact with hundreds of people in just a moment. In an instant we can see how excited a friend’s vacation was or find out how miserable someone is cause their flight was delayed at the airport. We will be challenged in life, time and time again. I think social media offers a way to share our challenges or struggles and get a wide variety of help from our friends. But if you’re paying attention like I am, our friends are not sharing their struggles. Some are just plain miserable and make it seem like the world has it out for them.

It’s harder for some to make this decision (to be happy), but it’s one that is there for all of us. Most importantly, you have to recognize how the decision you make impacts not only you. If you are positive it will influence those around you and if you’re miserable, no doubt it will infect your work team. I’m going to constantly push you to make lemonade in challenging situations, so remember you always get a choice.

When you have to interact with someone who is a victim of their own situation, do you confront them or let them infect others?

My Shtick (Why you should read this blog)

Ever wake up one morning and wonder what you were doing with your life? Well four years ago today I woke up wondering how I was going to live my life after just losing my mother to almost a decade long battle with lung cancer. My goal here today is to revive this blog with energy and intent. If you are new to reading this blog, then I promise you stories and probing questions that will help you become a more effective person.

The term effective is left up to your interpretation. Effective could be a more successful career, a more devoted mother or a stronger level of involvement in your community. I’ve got an amazing ability with words (hence the blog) and a way with finding the best in others. That what I’m best at or as my friend Kenny says it this is my shtick. I have this way of inspiring people and helping them become a more complete person. I don’t have a script on how we find a better you, so I apologize now if you want an outline. I’m not here to say there is something wrong with you. It’s possible you are reading and thinking to yourself “hey, my life is pretty freakin awesome.” If that’s the case, then consider me here to help you make it really freakin awesome.

The chairman of Google said that there is as much information created in 48 hours as there was from the beginning of mankind up until 2003. Given that, my goal is to be structured. I’ll aim to release blog posts on Monday and Thursday mornings. I challenge you to keep me honest on that promise. For those who want to understand the running reference for the blog, you can read my first blog post: “One Day I Just Started Running.” This is where my story begins.