Make A Procedure (WT782)

Make A Procedure (WT782)

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by Shirley Dalton | 20 Jun, 2025 | Blog, Business, Systems and Processes

WT 782 Make a Procedure

Before we get into this week’s thought, Ross and I were debating about the correct way to write the title.

Should it be “Write a Procedure” or “Make a Procedure”?

Before screen-capture tools like Loom.com or transcription services like Otter.ai or AI in general, the only way to capture a procedure was to write it, hence “Write a Procedure”.

Today though, there are many ways to capture a procedure, hence “Make a Procedure”.

So, whichever one you think is correct, use that.

To get us started, I have a question for you.

Have you ever been employed in a role and been asked to complete a task but there were no instructions for how to do it?

I thought so!

Here’s the thing. When we write procedures, we aren’t writing for ourselves, because we know how to do the work.  We are writing for the people who come after us.

And if you answered “Yes” to the question above, then you know how much we appreciate the thoughtfulness of those who created procedures for us to follow.

As a general rule, if you’re going to do something more than once, make a procedure.

If you only do something once a year, make a procedure because the odds are you will forget between now and next year.

With today’s technology, it’s not hard to make a procedure.

Here’s a tip. You might even call it a procedure.

  1. Name the procedure. For example, How to Make a Procedure.

2. Subscribe to Otter.ai or similar transcription service and download it to your phone or desktop.

3. Press Record.

4. Verbally describe the steps and any important information.

5. Use the format – Why, What, How and What If.

a. Why is this important? (Give the person a reason to follow the procedure.)

b. What is it?  (Give a bit of context or history or definition.)

c. How (List the steps and always start with a verb because people want to know what they have to DO.)

d. What if?  (These are questions people may have, “What if this happens? What if that happens?” Answer the questions.)

6. Stop the recording.

7. Upload the transcription to ChatGPT or other similar AI.

8. Prompt AI to create a procedure using verbs and numbers for each step and sub-step.

9. Review and edit the procedure.

10. Copy or download the procedure.

11. Update the version history (version number and date).

12. File the procedure in your document management system.

13. Inform those who use the procedure of the new version.

14. Request acknowledgement from users that they have Read and Understood the procedure.

15. Follow the procedure.

If you’re looking for a good document management system, I recommend TKO Docs (https://tkodocs.com).  It’s built on wordpress, has search availability and soon to have voice activated conversations like, “What’s our procedure for writing a procedure?”

There are many more features, like version control, being able to select who sees what, ability to create personalised manuals for different roles and the list goes on.

I trust I have encouraged you to think about your procedures and motivated you to start making them, if you haven’t already.

More information can be found in my book, The Loyal Lieutenant: How The Second-in-Command Brings The CEO’s Vision To Life.

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

Fifteen Years (WT780)

Fifteen Years (WT780)

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by Shirley Dalton | 6 Jun, 2025 | Blog, Business

WT 780 15 Years

Oh my golly goodness!

Today marks our 15th anniversary of Weekly Thoughts and I haven’t missed one single week in all that time.

This is something I am very proud of – my commitment to you.

I don’t want to miss a week because I don’t want to let you down.

How about you?

What or who are you committed to?

Let’s take a minute to reflect on the past fifteen years.

What’s happened in your life?

Where has your journey taken you?

Ross and I travelled Australia and lived in a motorhome over Covid.

We lived in the USA for 7 months.

We lived on the Gold Coast for a year.

Like gypsies, we’ve bought and sold properties, we’ve packed and unpacked.

I wrote and published two books and contributed to 3 others.

We travelled the world and studied with the best of the best, expanding my knowledge and my certifications to become an internationally certified R.A.P.I.D. Results Coach, a Transformational Mindset Coach, an authorised instructor for Thomas Gordon’s Leader Effectiveness Training and the list goes on.

And most of all, we’ve met and worked with the most amazing clients who inspire and teach us every day.

Anniversaries come and go, so this time, I invite you to take some time and not only reflect on the past 15 years, but look to the future as well. 

Who do you want to be in 15 years?

Where do you want to be in 15 years?

Thank you for being part of our community. Your presence inspires me to keep writing one more thought and one more thought and still another thought.

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

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

Just Do Your Job (WT779)

Just Do Your Job (WT779)

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by Shirley Dalton | 30 May, 2025 | Blog, Business, Mindset

WT 779 Just do your job

Every now and again we have a conversation with someone and something they say gives us goosebumps and chills all over.

I call these “truth bumps” because they indicate to us that what we are hearing is the truth.

This week my body tingled with truth bumps.

I was talking with a colleague about making sales calls.

Prospecting is something that a lot of people resist.

We were discussing how important it is to include a request for introductions or referrals.

My colleague even encouraged me to reach out to past Leading Yourself and Leading Others Graduates to check in with them and also invite them to pass on any referrals, which I did.

As were discussing the various scripts, he gave an example from real estate.

“If I was speaking to Joe Blow, who moved away from the area 10 years ago, I would still end the call by asking Joe if he knew anyone locally who might be looking at selling their home.”

And then came the truth bump moment, he continued, “I’m just doing my job”.

Of course he’s doing his job. He is a real estate agent. Real estate agents have to find their own stock before they can sell it.  It’s not like selling computers where you can simply order more when you sell all your stock.

So, how about you? What’s your job and are you doing it?

Do you need a shift in mindset to get yourself to do it?

As I contacted previous graduates of the Leadership experience, it would have been easy for me to cherry pick and to decide who might want to hear from me and whom I thought might not.

Instead, I shifted my mindset and thought, if I delegated this job to an admin assistant, they would  simply send the message to the phone number and not even think about it. And so I did, I didn’t enter into Automatic Listening and make up stories.  In fact, quite the opposite, I did think of all the wonderful leaders I have met and trained and I got a warm fuzzy feeling.

It was wonderful to be back in touch with so many people.

Just do your job, whatever your job is.

Afterall, you signed up for it.

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

The Cycle of Change (WT778)

The Cycle of Change (WT778)

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by Shirley Dalton | 23 May, 2025 | Blog, Business, Mindset

WT 778 Stages of Change Diagram

Are you thinking about changing something or are you wanting prospective clients to purchase a product of service?

If so, you might be interested to know a little bit about the process we go through when we want to change something in our lives.

In the late 1970s, James Prochaska, a psychologist interested in psychotherapy outcomes, noticed a disconnect in treatment approaches—particularly around behaviour change (e.g., quitting smoking, substance use). Traditional models assumed that people were ready to change, and that all they needed was the right intervention.

But many clients weren’t ready, and even effective therapies failed if used at the wrong time. So Prochaska posed a deeper question:

“What actually happens when people change on their own, without therapy?”

He & DiClemente discovered that people don’t change all at once—they go through a predictable, cyclical process of readiness. And importantly, each stage of change requires different support and messaging.

By studying how people prepare for and attempt change (especially self-changers), they mapped out a non-linear, six-stage process:

  1. Precontemplation – No intention to change
  2. Contemplation – Considering change
  3. Preparation – Planning to act soon
  4. Action – Actively making change
  5. Maintenance – Sustaining change
  6. (Later added) Termination – Complete transformation (for some behaviours)

They published this in their 1983 paper, integrating insights from clinical psychology, behavioural science, and public health, hence it was known as The Transtheoretical Model. (Cycle or Stages of Change is much easier.)

Knowing this can help you identify where you’re at with your own readiness to change as well as where your prospective clients might be. It’s also useful for Organisational Change, Coaching and Personal Development and Education and Public Policy because it helps us meet people where they are, not where we assume they should be.

Obviously someone who is at the first stage, “Pre-Contemplation” is not going to rush to buy your service, so they need education and awareness.

Someone who is contemplating change needs to be informed. You could share stories or data or case studies.

When someone is getting ready, they want you to be available, responsive and solution-oriented.

If they’re ready to buy, it’s time to ask for their commitment.

Next maintain the change through an ongoing relationship – follow up, upsell and support their success.

And if they happen to relapse, they may be experiencing doubt, so reconnect and re-engage to rebuild trust.

You can think of your marketing as meeting prospects where they are, not where you want them to be. A pushy sales pitch in the Pre-Contemplation stage won’t work, whereas a warm, helpful message in Contemplation can help move them forward.

Marketing Mentor, Cham Tang, says, “Marketing is developing relationships with people until they are ready to buy”.

Even if you’re not in sales, think about yourself and your team. In relation to change of any kind, where are you at? Reply and let me know.

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

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

What Is The Missing Link To Team Efficiency? (WT769)

What Is The Missing Link To Team Efficiency? (WT769)

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by Shirley Dalton | 21 Mar, 2025 | Blog, Business

WT 769 What's the missing link to Team Efficiency

This week I was working onsite with clients looking at their systems.

Like many business owners, they were frustrated because their people were not being efficient.

“How can we improve our efficiency? they asked.

That’s a great question.

What do you think the answer is?

What do you think is the missing link?

If you said “Role Clarity”, you are correct.

“Role Clarity?” “How does that improve efficiency?”

If you think about it, your people come to work to do a good job and feel good about themselves and the contribution they make.

In order to do that, they need to know what they have to do, to what standard.

This is Role Clarity.

You and your people are clear on what they are meant to be doing.

When all team members know where they fit in the organisation and what they are responsible for, you’ll find your business becomes much more efficient.

We can also look at this from another angle.

So many businesses I’ve consulted with do not have a clear organisation chart nor do they have clear job descriptions. (Our preferred method for documenting roles and standards is Key Performance Indicators and Key Behaviour Indicators.)
Without these, people flounder and when they flounder, they become inefficient.

They often end up doing bits and pieces of other roles, which can be quite frustrating for the other and in one business I worked with, the owner was extremely frustrated because she said every job seemed to be done by two people instead of one, hence costing her double for the work.

Whilst having good systems and processes in place, along with well documented procedures and good training and the use of technology goes a long way to improving efficiency, they do not influence efficiency as much as role clarity.

Your assignment this week is to analyse your business or section. Do you have a current organisation structure and if so, is it documented?  Do your people know what they have to do to what standard to succeed in the role?

Reach out if you need some help.

I can promise you, once you are clear and your people understand you’ll find that the chaos, frustration and fighting drastically reduces in favour of a productive harmonious workplace.

And in case you are wondering what the other influencers are, you can check out my Blueprint for Business Freedom, which includes the 3 major areas to focus on:

  1. High Performance People
  2. High Performance Processes
  3. High Performance Potential.

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

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

He’s Not Getting The Job (WT768)

He’s Not Getting The Job (WT768)

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by Shirley Dalton | 14 Mar, 2025 | Blog, Business, Communication Skills

WT 768 He's not getting the job

Recently we had some storm damage, nothing like Cyclone Alfred up north, but enough to have to get the bay windows resealed and fixed.

We used Hipages to request quotes from qualified tradespeople.

One man called straight away on the Friday. We’ll call him Jack. Jack quoted $850 to come and do the work the next day, (Saturday) which was forecast to be raining.

We were a little surprised that:

  1. He quoted without looking at the job
  2. He could get there the next day.

What thoughts would you have about a tradesperson who isn’t booked out weeks or months in advance?

Anyway, Ross told him another person was coming to look at the job on Monday and that he would let him know.

Jack called again on the Saturday to see if he could come and do the job.

Ross reminded him that he had organised another quote for Monday.

Jack called again Monday morning.

He either didn’t hear or didn’t listen.

When Ross told me about Jack, I responded with, “Well he’s not getting the job.”

Jack might have been a good tradesperson.

Jack’s quote might have been fair and reasonable. It was actually half of what we ended up paying.

Jack didn’t get the job because he didn’t listen.

Ross also had a similar experience with another supplier.

Frustrated at the end of a phone call, he said, “I still haven’t finished a sentence”.

Listening is different to hearing.

You use your ears to hear. You use all of you to listen and best of all, your relationships will improve out of sight if you learn to Actively Listen.

Active Listening is a skill and a skill I wish everyone would learn.

When you Active Listen to others you are demonstrating that you heard and understood what they said. This means you repeat back to them what you think they said.
It doesn’t mean you are agreeing with what they say.

When people know that you heard and understood them they can move on and share more with you. They also trust that you did in fact hear them, listen to them and take in what they were telling you.

Your mission this week is to check yourself.

Are you behaving like Jack or the other supplier and not letting your clients, colleagues or family members finish their sentences?

Are you waiting to speak rather than listening?

Are you talking over them?

I sincerely hope not, because you may find that you too are frustrating others and therefore don’t get the job.

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

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

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