Reactive vs Pro-Active

What happens when we don’t plan ahead? Have you ever started writing a memo, reviewing a memo, creating a presentation, or developing an engineering agreement the day it’s due? What’s the outcome? Mistakes! Have you ever sent an email or text message without reading the material before you hit send? If you have done this, more than likely you made a mistake or two. What is your reaction when you find out about the mistake? For me personally, I get frustrated and embarrassed. So why do we put ourselves in this position? We allow ourselves to get in a hurry, or we are not fully committed to the actual deadline or the task at hand. In some cases, there are personal reasons.   No matter what the excuse or reason, the quality of the product will be jeopardized.

So what can we do to improve our thoroughness? We can plan ahead or in other words “be proactive”. For semi-complex and complex tasks, commit yourself to a start date and a completion date prior to the actual due date. By doing so, you will be able address issues in a pro-active manner rather than reactive. In return, the quality of product will improve and the stress level will decrease.

Pursuing Average vs Pursuing Excellence

What happens if we pursue average? The quality of product will suffer significantly. Deadlines will most likely not be met. So how do we pursue excellence? First, peer review or quality control should be everyone’s priority. Be responsible, take care of the details, and don’t expect someone else to take care of the details for you. Don’t settle for average performance! Remember, we are Owasso which only settles for exceptional performance. In order to achieve excellence, we must commit ourselves to perform at our very best from the beginning of the first quarter to the end of fourth quarter.

Finish Weak vs Finish Strong

What happens if we finish weak rather than strong? Again, quality of product will be average at best. Most likely, the deadline will be missed because of all the rework. In a worst case scenario, the project is never finished.   In order to finish strong, take care of details and work until you are finished with the task. Know what details are most important so that you don’t have a squirrel moment. Once the task is complete, evaluate the process to see what can be better for the next time. Be responsible; be committed from start to finish!

This month’s challenge as you reflect on Thoroughness: Are you committed? And are you committed to be thorough on a consistent basis?  Be thorough!