During my service, I was the Head of Chambers to a Colonel up North. Back in 2006, I returned to the chambers from a short visit home. I glanced at the schedule to see that the Colonel would be in a meeting, at a base located a 3 hour drive away, each direction (get a vibe where this is heading..?). He arrived at the meeting, only to realize it was rescheduled for later on that month.
Luckily for me, it would take him hours to get back, time which I could use to think this through rationally, respond instead of reacting, and obvs hope he cools down. I dreaded the moment he arrived, rightfully pissed off, I followed him straight to his office and said “I fucked up”. I sat down, shared my skittles, kept it short, and took complete responsibility. In order to be accountable, I briefly explained action plans I will be enforcing, in order to guarantee such mishap wouldn’t reoccur. He took a handful of candy and that was that.
This could have looked completely different. Fear of being accountable for my responsibilities could have led me to try and dodge the blame, point fingers, explain how this wasn’t my fault because of this, that or whatnot. This was a simple human error, something that could happen to anyone. It’s not personal, every single human fucks up. What matters is how you hold yourself responsible and accountable. This is an opportunity to improve your workflow, to learn new skills or thinking patterns, and adapt new habits. Instead of getting in your head and ego, ask yourself “how do I prevent this from happening again”?
1. CHECKLIST for everything
2. Document processes and break down execution steps. Be detail oriented, as if you’re planning to head out to the wilderness, with no electricity for one month.
3. Create, communicate, enforce and frequently review policies & processes
We especially tend to beat ourselves up for forgetting something that is part of our routine. Checklists assist in maintaining focus, minimizing errors and lead to better time management.
Developing an agile mindset is a necessity. Act, change and continue to retweak to find the best process for everyone.
In 2007, following my army release, I was drawn to the High Tech/Startup world, with ‘Executive Assistant to CEO’ and people relations as the most natural next role.
Here is my ‘CEO travel Checklist‘ to help you kickoff your #SpringChecklisting
This checklist was inspired by the many times I would remember to purchase an abroad roaming package, the last minute (pre-online click and go days).
PRO TIP - Traveling? Check if your investors have special-fee plans with a hotel chain, which they can share with you. PRO TIP 2 - Out of town and in need for offices to conduct meetings? If your investors are based in such town, ask if they have a spare office you may use.
How do you document your processes? What’s a must in your travel checklist?
-E
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