There I was. Depressed, frustrated, and overwhelmed. Despite my
best efforts to have a smooth running ship and organize my event,
I realized I had a significant breakdown in my process. I admit,
it wasn't the end of the world, but come on, I teach this stuff!
It was one week before we went live on our new program, we were
preparing the workbooks for production, and I realized, no one
ordered the right tabs! Yikes!
It got me thinking how a client of mine had shared a great story
about their direct mail marketing campaign. A lot of money had
been invested in buying a list of qualified candidates. But every
step of the way there was breakdown in the process - the guy who
formatted the list didn't set it up right, the assistant didn't
have the proper envelopes, and they had no postage when they
needed it. My client laughed as he told me this, but I knew he
was frustrated!
Well, I've learned over the years that a breakdown means that
something very valuable is happening - I have new insight into
how I can improve my process, my attitude, or my belief so that
problem never happens again.
Let's look at a few examples of how breakdowns can occur in our
business or life.
* A business partnership goes from the honeymoon phase to the
divorce phase, all from a simple miscommunication around "who is
doing what" with the budget.
* After training your new team for six months, you realize a key
person continues to not follow through on your requests in a
timely manner. You are worried you may have to let them go, even
though they seemed like a perfect fit at the interview.
* Many late nights and nose-to-the-grind-stone days later, you
realize that your big speaking debut will not be flawless because
your brochures and products did not get shipped by the supplier.
* A wonderful new client suddenly becomes a nightmare when they
keep adding new deliverables to the project agreement - but don't
want to pay you any additional money.
These are typical scenarios that many of my clients and
associates have experienced. What I have noticed is there can be
a difference in how people handle these types of breakdowns. Some
people might freak out, scream and yell, and blame everyone else
for the breakdown. That tends to be the "victim-mentality" type
who struggle in life. The "success-oriented" type is the one who
says, "OK, how can I make my process better?" Here are Six
Sanity-Saving Scenarios that can turn that breakdown into a
breakthrough.
* Strengthen Communication. When you have a miscommunication with
someone, it is usually a sign that someone "assumed" something
along the way. Make sure that you use the "listen first, speak
second, confirm your message last" method to make sure everyone
is on the same page.
* Delegate Effectively. There are 3 key elements for effective
delegation: what you want, when it is due, and how to communicate
completion. If you miss one of these steps, you will most likely
have problems with the tasks you delegate.
* Improve Skills. Often times, when something is not done
properly, it is because the person doesn't know how to do it.
Find out what skills, education or training they need so they can
complete the job properly.
* Improve Your System. If the skills are there, then most likely
the system (or the process to complete it) is broken. Identify in
writing using a checklist, flow chart or written request what
exactly needs to be done. Make sure that every element that can
impact the quality of the end result is included.
* Slow Down. Ever heard the saying that someone is like a "bull
in a china shop?" That means they are racing forward breaking
everything in their path. Often time's people move so fast they
leave a massive path of carnage - including their teams, their
clients and their families - in the wake. Rome was not built in a
day. So slow down.
* Be a Leader. If you feel like mutiny on the bounty, perhaps
your team doesn't understand the vision anymore. Being a leader
is inspiring others to support and follow your vision. If they
aren't following, you are not leading. Revitalize the vision - it
will work wonders.
The bottom line is that life happens and breakdowns will occur.
We have all heard the saying, "breakdown, breakthrough." Well it
is true. I have experienced enough adversity in my life to fill
an ocean liner. It is up to us to choose to respond to these
situations with a positive attitude to make them work for us -
not against us. So take those challenging situations and look for
the opportunity to strengthen your personal mindset and your
business systems.
Now, it's your turn. How will you take a breakdown in your life
and turn it into a breakthrough? I encourage you to take note of
where the problems occur and brainstorm with your team, your
family, or your friends to come up with possible "breakthroughs!"
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