Own your business!
Own your business!
Own your business!
Have you ever been in the situation where you had to wait and wait for someone to respond to your question or request? Do you get frustrated about that? You should! Especially if you yourself are a person that hasreasonable organizational skills. How come you don't get the answers you need?
Picture this. You have sent an email to a colleague with clear specification of what you need and when you need it. You have also called this person to explain your request and get some clue of when to expect an answer. If the reply you get is anything like what you are about to read now you know you are in trouble :|
"I will try to get it to you by the end of the week"
"I am not sure when I have the time to do this"
"I am waiting for someone else for feedback"
"I am swamped, because... [any personal reason for not doing the job]"
Let's start with the first one:
"I will try to get it to you by the end of the week"
Any phrase people use that starts with "I will try" or that even contains the word TRY is no good! My goodfriend Sasha Koch (www.sashakoch.nl) taught me this. It's like trying on a new dress; if it doesn't fit, no worries you can just buy another one or don't buy it at all. To try means you have the intend to accomplish some goal. Which is great, but at the same time it means that you take it into account that you will not reach the goal. This is all about believing in your own succes which is atoo much to address in this article. But can you imagine what someone would say to you if they are confident they are going to reach their goal and say this: "I will definitely have it ready for you by the end of tomorrow". These people exist you know!
When doing your job it's all about owning what you do. OWN your business! Like the old saying goes; "mind your own business". We have come to explain this as: keep to yourself and do not meddle into other peoples business. But when you look at the definition of the verb mind on www.rhymezone.comis states:
verb: keep in mind
verb: be concerned with or about something or somebody
verb: be offended or bothered by; take offense with, be bothered by
verb: be in charge of or deal with
verb: pay close attention to; give heed to
verb: be on one's guard; be cautious or wary about; be alert to
Except for the third meaning, they all state that to mind means somehing along the lines of caring about whatever it is you need to mind and actually doing something about it. So I say:
'Mind your own business' actually means: OWN YOUR BUSINESS!
Which is the essential of the article and even the entire website. Owning your business means: taking responsibility for it, being able to plan what you have to do in order to reach your goals and actually doing it. Let's take alook at the next one.
"I am not sure when I have the time to do this"
This person has a high level of stress and is unable to plan their tasks and prioritize what he is responsible for. I recommend Getting Things Done (GTD) or another method to start taking action.
"I am waiting for someone else for feedback"
This person is very cautious to make decisions on his own. Again: own your business is the key! The way to more clear decisions is a combination of well described responsibilities in a job description, good people management and highpersonal effectiveness. More on that in articles yet to write :)
"I am swamped, because... [any personal reason for not doing the job]"
The last one is tricky though, because if there is a personal situation that is most stressful you are enclined to agree to this being a reason for not doing the job. You want to be supportive to their personal life.But should you really let it effect your work? This person has a manager right? Did his manager make sure he is not at work to take care of his personal situation first to then be back at work afterwards to do his job? Did his manager assign someone to take over these tasks? You probably are not able to change anything as you are not this persons manager, but you can at least ask who you can turn to next. And it should help to realize you do not have to put any meaning to your own business/work just because someone else is making excuses.
Some final remarks to finish off with. It can be really difficult to organize your work when waiting for others. But the most important thing is: YOU. Maybe you have contributed to this situation? Do YOU own what you do? Ask yourself these questions before sending out any request:
Do I really need this person or can I deside this myself? Is it actually my responsibility?
If I cannot decide this myself... can I suggest something that this person only has to approve and take responsibility for? Be careful that you are not too strict in your suggestions and leave plenty of room for other suggestions.
Can I get someone else to put in this request? It could be that your manager or someone else is responsible for asking this question. Again: is this my responsibility?
Are you asking the right question? People often think they are asking a question when the problem is actually in anothe area.Talk to others to mirror what you are thinking first.
Taking responsibility doesn't just mean that you have to do more, but it can mean you let other people take their responsibility. Please note, in some rare cases there is nothing you can so. If you are working in a company where no one is held accountable for what they do then you're in a rough patch. Hopefully you are more aware of your own business communications each day so you can deal with others who aren't.
Any feedback is very welcome, please visit my website www.clearbusinesscommunications.com
Voiceover Ip Billing - Furnishing Precision And Improved Productiveness Interpreting Reported Earnings Quoted By Small Business Seller Valve Co-secretary-general Kang Home Bridge: Exploration Of The Valve Business Development - Health Have You Found Your Top Home Based Business? The Basic Design Principles of Printing Business Cards Free Singapore Business Name Check Same Day Cash: Instant Monetary Help to Meet Ends Business Consulting - The Importance Of Consulting 9 things you must do to maximize your chances of obtaining a small business loan How to Avoid the Most Common Reasons for Small Business Failure A Cash Advance Can Help You Through Tough Times Be A Farmer In Your MLM Business! Which Makes Sense For Your Business: Managed Colocation or Managed Servers?