To the Point

I’ve written a lot of blogs that romanticize my differing opinions of success in the workplace. From struggle , to hard work , to re-routing the organizational thought process, Bolt Buzz has covered it all.  This is not one of those blogs.

I’ve learned my work ethic from the best, my mother. She is smart, eloquent, a leader, a doer and frankly the most successful person I’ve ever known.  She is also a proponent of “get it done” (what did you expect, she is from Chicago).

To put this in perspective, I got a speeding ticket this morning (whether or not I deserved it is… debatable). Who did I call? My mother (I’m not sure you ever grow out of that), as I was continuing to ramble on about how unjust my ticket was, she cut me off.  She asked me if I had been speeding, I had to own up to it, I had been speeding.  “Well then you got a ticket, it happens.”  As I proceeded to argue why this was unfair, she pulled out the tough love card and said “when does traffic school start?” She’s concise; she sees the problem and already knows the best answer.

After I hung up the phone, this conversation lingered in my head. Is it possible that life and work are sometimes black and white? I had a phenomenal mentor when I first entered the public relations world. She was tough on me, but I learned from her. One thing she once said to me and has stuck with me ever since was, “well there seems to be a lot of differing factors that are causing you some issues, but all I’m hearing from you is what they are. Do you have any solutions? I’d rather hear 50 wrong solutions than one more problem.” Black and white, cut and dry, whatever you wish to call it there is a point. Not everyone lives in grey. Clients, customers, business partners, and sponsors pay for a result- yes it is that black and white.

Here are my best practices, for being concise and getting to the point:

• Map it out: have a plan and stick to it
• Work smart: it does not matter how long you work on something, if it doesn’t further you to the end goal, it is not worth the time
• Time management: Look at the clock, use a timer, stay on target
• Attitude adjustment: The old adage is true. Think positive thoughts, or if you build it, they will come (who doesn’t love Field of Dreams?)

A friend and colleague told me this week, “if the ride seems to easy, check to make sure you’re not going downhill.” The path to a solution is not always going to be simple. The answer won’t always come in the form of your mother providing you tough love. However, while living in a world of grey might help justify many things- sometimes things are just that black and white, to the point and concise.  Do your best and always bring a solution in your back pocket.

We will now return to my normally scheduled romanticized writing.