This week our printer packed it in.

We are running the leadership experience so we needed to print handouts etc.

Ross went to Officeworks, armed with a thumb drive and a list of a files.

Ross’ personality type is that of a Driver.

Drivers are interested in the big picture. They aren’t into details. They just want to know what the result is to be achieved. They aren’t interested in small talk.  Let’s just get it done, preferably directing you to get it done.

I was happy for Ross to take on the task because I didn’t have the time.

He left the printing on the table for me to sort.

The black and white copies were perfect. Not so the coloured one.

The coloured copies had a big block of yellow colour running across the centre of the page.

I’ve been working on not being so critical, so I wasn’t sure how to handle this.

“Did you notice the coloured copies”, I asked.

“Yes, they are there”, he replied. “I did them all.”

“Yes, they were there, however they had a big yellow block printed across them.”

“What?”

He went into the room to check.

“Oh!, I had a look”, he said. “I thumbed through them”, demonstrating to me how he thumbed the top left corner of the pages. 

The blocks were in the middle of the page.

I couldn’t help myself, “Attention to Detail” I said.

“Yes”, he admitted.

“Lack of attention to detail costs you. Now you have to go back and do it all over again.”

And he did.

It’s the little things that trip us up.  It’s little things like not taking the extra minute to thoroughly check that can mean hours of rework.

We both laughed.  As a Driver we understand he isn’t into details. It wasn’t really a job a Driver should be doing, so I told him how grateful I was that he did do the job because I have learned over the years,  that the happiest people are those that are the most grateful.

So moral to the story.  Stick to your lanes as much as possible.  Play to your strengths and do work that you are most suited to and be grateful.

You’ll be a lot happier.

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Go to https://shirleydalton.com/Weekly-Thoughts.

Something I learned from my mentor, Kip McGrath was the difference between employees being unable to do something and unwilling to do something.

This helps immensely when leading and managing your team because it guides the conversations and/or training required.

One of my clients, Mark Kentwell, takes it a little further.

He makes a distinction between being “happy” to do something or “willing” to do something.

I was reminded of this last week, when I was working onsite at a client’s office and I was asked to take a phone enquiry.

“I’m happy to take the call”, I said.

As soon as I heard myself say that, I stopped for a second.

Was I really happy to take the call, or was I just willing?

Truth is, I was willing.

I really didn’t want to take the call because it was interrupting the work I was focussing on.

How often do we say, “I’m happy to <fill in the blank”, when we’d rather not?

Let this week’s thought be an encouragement to you to speak your truth.

Be assertive.

If you’re willing, say you’re willing.

If you’re happy, say you’re happy.

Let’s not confuse the two.

Happy or willing? Write back and let me know what you find.

P.S. Invite your friends to get the Weekly Thought delivered directly to their inbox.

Go to https://shirleydalton.com/Weekly-Thoughts.