Lately, I have been doing lists. You know, the sheets of paper that say “I will do this today.” Some do not need paper, they can do it in their head. Others use their devices. We do have the technology. Regardless of our method, we all have aspirations for the day. “I will do this today.” What is your “this” and how will it fit into the day?
OK, this is about time management, right? No. OK, so maybe about prioritization? Closer. What is your goal? This is the complicated part. It is about what is triggering our choice. Are we trying to be better organized, a better sales rep, a better leader, a better father or mother, a better what exactly? Is this making you go cross-eyed? Relax.
Let’s say you are starting your day and you establish you need to get your team of five on board with greeting and acknowledging every customer. This is a monumentally important aspect in selling. Perhaps the most important step short of closing the sale. Which is why the two are symbiotically linked. You wake up and tell yourself, “come hell or high water (an antiquated phrase…google it), my team will greet or acknowledge anyone who even thinks about entering our store.” You are passionate about it!
No one would disagree with your logic in having this be a target in retail sales. That is selling…saying “hi” is critical. What is the source? This is important to acknowledge because other stuff may get in the way and you have to know your “why”. Maybe you got a mystery shop score that said no one was greeted within in certain time frame. Maybe you viewed people walking out of your store having never been greeted when you were working with customers. Maybe your boss said I noticed that Skippy did not…whatever. What is your reason for your “this” today? Is it some superfluous, random or seemingly meaningless task that will just fall away or it is something you feel needs to addressed, discussed and executed (harsh word choice) in the day?
We all make a list in our day. We all have a desire to do well. What gets in the way? I think it starts with the amount of importance we place on the task itself. Do we believe in what we are striving to do or is it just a thing? But, what a minute, everything I do is important? No. Sorry, I don’t buy it. I think best intentions are good. I think aspirations to be successful is great. I just have an issue when the list exceeds the reality of what you can actually do. What is mission critical? And what is just stuff? So prioritization does play a part, for sure. Consider your measurement criteria. Be careful here.
What to do?
Consider the depth of what you are trying to accomplish. Consider the task and how it factors (matters), especially with others? Will this grow others abilities? Will the increased abilities help others (i.e. customers) and provide a better “whatever”?
Consider your peripheries. What is happening around you? Will these things have an impact on your ability to accomplish this task or any task for that matter? Domino effect or is it the butterfly effect?
Time. We only have so much in any given day and we have to be realistic. I am very much challenged by this reality. Best intentions may not equal the hours given.
This one will sting. What about your resilience…your strength to get “this” done? This ties back to the first comment about how it matters and not just to others. This is about your resolve to accomplish whatever you have in front of you. Think ownership, accountability and adoption.
We all have things to do in a day. Some things large and some sublime. We may at times have an “insert action here” mentality in our to-do list. Nothing wrong with that. There is so much to do in our management and leadership day. It is a matter of course. And it is on our list. Why and to what extent will you factor this task? But it could be a small thing like get toilet paper today. I am accountable for sure. Especially when I am in that moment when I need it and I don’t have it. Greet your customers.
Cheers