As someone who nerds out on systems and processes, I’ve come to realize that some of the things that bring me great joy and delight are a little ... well ... maybe a lot … weird.
Lately, it seems like more people are pointing out these oddities. So I thought it might be fun to catalog just a few of the things I would do for free -- even if I didn’t happen to have a business where I get to do them all the time.
1 - Mapping Out Messy Processes
Did you ever see that Netflix series where home organization genius, Marie Kondo, goes to someone’s house and organizes E.VER.Y.THING? There’s this moment when she opens up a cluttered “junk drawer,” and with a giant cheesy grin exclaims, “I love mess!”
Well, friends, that is totally, 100% me when it comes to messy business processes. I can’t tell you how many times my clients apologize or feel embarrassed to show me how clunky or mixed up a process is. And I just can’t quite seem to get them to understand how much joy it brings me to turn their mess into one of these babies:
Seriously. It’s the best.
2 - Coming up with Training Objectives & Assessments
When it comes to building trainings, everyone thinks it’s all about the content. (Hint: It’s not.)
But here’s what’s actually awesome: Boiling down the most important behaviors my clients want their new hires to demonstrate as a result of their training. And then coming up with fun and creative ways to assess whether or not they can do those things.
Maybe it’s my past-life as a 5th grade teacher, but I know that sometimes a multiple choice quiz just doesn’t cut it. Mock sales call evaluations, on-the-job observations, and thoughtful reflections are just way more fun (and more effective!).
3 - Building Automated Workflows
Once upon a time in my corporate career, I discovered a beautiful tool named Smartsheet.com and I was forever changed. Suddenly, I had the power to build tools to automate just about anything I could dream up WITHOUT THE PERMISSION OF THE IT DEPARTMENT!
Now I’ve got even more workflow tools under my belt. The fun never stops. I seriously can’t believe it’s my job to help my clients build workflows to fix their business problems.
4 - Defining Roles & Responsibilities
Because my brain is compelled to categorize and organize information, it still can surprise me that others don’t share this obsession.
But that means I get to to sit down with a CEO and show her all 30 positions in her company that she had no idea existed. And then we can define the results each is accountable for. And THEN we can think about the talents someone in that position needs to be successful.
Knowing that I can help my clients better understand how all the people in their organization fit together is a gift … to both of us. :)
5 - Optimizing Personal Systems
There are SO many things we all want to get done in a given day, week, month or year. And it can be so overwhelming to figure out where it all fits in. Not to mention making sure that the things you’re fitting in are actually the things that are your top priorities.
I can say with confidence that:
there is no single system that works for everyone.
(Also, once you find a system that works for you, IT WILL EVENTUALLY NEED TO CHANGE.)
But I actually LOVE reengineering my own personal productivity systems and those of my clients. It’s great fun to dig into what’s working, what’s not, and how to shift things so that things turn out better the next go-around.
So many people think that struggling to get things done means something is wrong with them. That they’re broken. It does my heart good to help them see that they just haven’t found a good system that works for them. And that when things don’t work it’s just a sign that something needs to change.
Conclusion: I have my Dream Job
Maybe some of you read this and thought, “This lady sounds like a real piece of work.” But I know there are probably at least a few of you who were thinking, “Oh! I’m not the only one!” (And if you did think that, reach out, because we’re hiring!)
The cool thing is, we need each other. Process people need processes to fix. And CEOs with messy processes need people like us to fix them. It’s when we lean into our own weirdness that we find the hobbies -- and even the work -- that bring us joy. Even if they make us the nerdiest kid on the block.
Do you need help with any of these delightfully-fun things in your business? Book a free call so you can add some more joy to my life AND get your business working like a well-oiled machine!