Strategies for the Workplace

Necessary and Sufficient

The words necessary and sufficient may be used in business to draw a distinction between something that is required (the necessary part) and yet, alone, is not enough to achieve some goal (thus insufficient).  The point is to recognize that folks may confuse some basic requirements with doing enough to meet some objective; that is, they are focusing only on what is necessary, without appreciating that this alone will not be sufficient.

Inflection Point

An inflection point is an event, activity, or condition that marks a significant transition from the circumstances before and what comes after.  For example, an inflection point may mark when the fortunes of a business, product, or service changes from modest growth to rapid growth or slows from rapid growth to modest growth or even decline. 

Getting What You Need From Someone Else

There are things you need to do in order to get other people to do work you need.  Investing in the process and the quality of the up-front work will pay dividends; short-changing the process can result in no useful deliverable, wasted time and money, or worse.
 

The Checklist Process

The point is that if you have a multi-step process and consistency is important, develop and adhere to a check list or have a great reason why you don’t.

'Audibles' and 'Game-Time Decisions'

The point is to decide when you need to decide something before you decide it.  It may be useful to make some decisions later than you initially think, although don’t assume this is costless.  Should changes be possible near execution time, be certain everyone knows that this can happen and that you have effective communication channels to ensure all participants get the update.

Puzzles and Mysteries

When trying to figure something out, it can be useful to distinguish a puzzle from a mystery.  Puzzles have well defined pieces and the solution may come from time spent organizing, rearranging, and so on.  A mystery is not the same thing, and it may have no simple answer.  Mysteries require a different kind of analysis and may not be solvable.  The reason that it is important to distinguish between a puzzle and a mystery is that how you approach the search for a solution involves a different process and skills.

Don't Overthink It

Apply the appropriate level of analysis for the situation and check, periodically, if you are continuing to get a good return for additional effort.  In other words, think, but don’t over think.

Clearly Communicating the State of Something

You may be presenting a product or service and your audience will need to know whether they are looking at something that is unfinished, mostly done, finished, etc.  You will want to be clear about the state of the instance they are viewing. 

Ask Before Answering

Eager to be helpful and perhaps to appear knowledgeable, you may be tempted to answer a question without understanding fully what is being asked.  Many seemingly straightforward questions are asking something slightly different from what they may first appear to be asking.

Getting Multiple Bids

Before contracting with someone or an organization to do a piece of work, it is prudent to get a concrete proposal or estimate.  This approach works in the business world and in your personal life, say for getting your car insured or fixed, planning a home improvement project, undergoing a medical procedure, and so on.  Get more than one bid and keep soliciting bids until you feel you have a good sense of what the market is offering.