Don’t Waste Time — Tip of the Week

I recently attended a high school reunion. It had been 20 years since the last one. The week before, I studied, on and off, my senior yearbook. I remembered a lot of my classmates, though I have rarely seen them since graduation. I studied the pictures of those I didn’t remember as well very carefully. Prepared, I attended the reunion.

My preparation was virtually useless. During the last 20 years, many more changes had occurred in our physical appearance than during the period preceding our last reunion. I recognized a few people right off the bat. With others, even those I had known since elementary school days, it was necessary to sneak a look at their name-tags, wait for them to tell me who they, or look at them for a couple of minutes until I figured out their identity. Spending some time looking at my yearbook had provided a good trip down memory lane, but it hadn’t prepared me much for the reunion. Next time, I’ll try to find pictures of my classmates on the Internet.

It occurred to me that what I had done in preparation for my reunion is what is done in workplaces every day in preparation for a project, a meeting, or something. If we’re responsible for giving our employees information to prepare them, make sure it’s the information they need to be successful. If we’re the employees receiving the information, don’t accept it blindly. Think about what it tells you. If it’s not what you need, ask for more information.

Just because information is accurate at some level doesn’t make it useful if it doesn’t match up with what you’re asking your employees to prepare for or what you’re preparing for. My reunion reminded me that time slips away quickly. Don’t waste yours or that of someone else.