Day: April 11, 2021

Declutter

~ osasuoviawe ~ Leave a comment

Today, I woke up to a protracted breakdown on a machine.

When I got there to support, I immediately noticed significant housekeeping issues caused by the team doing troubleshooting. I could tell they were embarrassed to have me meet the machine in that state.

Without putting down anyone, I asked that we stop all restoration, and clean up the area to ensure that we were working in a space that promoted right thinking.

I have read quite a lot about the positive correlation between orderliness of space and effective problem solving. I have noticed it in my life too. Less clutter in my physical space reduces clutter in my mind.

After cleaning, we restarted troubleshooting, and the issue was resolved in less than 15 minutes. There was a lot of work done before I got there, and the housekeeping might not have directly solved the problem, but I believe it gave people time-off to think about their approach, and also see what was deviating from the norm more clearly.

I could see the relief and excitement in the team as we got back into production. No voices raised, no blame game, just a clean work area to get things done.

I am thankful for the clarity decluttering brings.

Cue 120 – The One Key to Dealing with Senior Executives: Answer the Question!

~ osasuoviawe ~ Leave a comment

The One Key to Dealing with Senior Executives: Answer the Question!

“I can’t tell you how many times over the years that I’ve needed to coach people to “answer the question” when dealing with senior executives. It amazes me to sit in meetings and watch people hem, haw, dodge, extemporize and do just about anything but answer the question they were asked.” – Dave Kellogg

Win-Win

~ osasuoviawe ~ Leave a comment

Reduce the friction in getting any virtue done, until the friction is small enough to make you slide in effortlessly.

Increase the friction in getting any vice done, until the friction is large enough to cause you too much pain to bear doing it.

Since I downloaded my banking app on my phone and explored token-free transactions, the friction I have always experienced in banking transactions has significantly reduced. This is good and bad.

It is good because I am not confined to a particular space to execute transactions. And I do not need to keep hoping the battery in my token works. Wherever I am – bathroom, bed, kitchen or even walking, I can immediately execute a transaction whenever I need to.

It is bad because I have noticed a spike in frivolous transfers and spending. The previous friction of getting to a computer, reaching for my token, and going through at least 10 steps before completing a transaction, was significantly reduced to 5 steps.

In the balance of play, the good outweighs the bad, so I keep the app on my phone, however, it is not on my homescreen. It is tucked away in a folder that takes me 10 steps to access. So while keeping the good of being able to execute a transaction anywhere, I included the friction of increasing the steps it takes to reach it.

Win-win for me so far.

– Osasu Oviawe