March 17, 2008 

Hi MBBP Subscribers, 

When I was working in industry, I was sometimes accused of being too driven by my desire to meet goals. My wife always said that it was the major contributor to my high stress level and chronic headaches.  

In the early days, we unfortunately had not discovered the power of self-directed teams. To meet deadlines we would get our people in a room, tell them what they had to do and then threaten them with a 2x4 till they got it done. (Well maybe that's an exaggeration but only the 2x4.)  

I hope that none of my readers are in that kind of work environment today. If so, you have my sympathy. Today, empowerment and team dynamics are the keys to creating a fun work environment and getting the job done on time. 

This all reminds me of a story about a guy who always got things done on time. So, let's take another break from our day-to-day routine and enjoy another story, "A Just In Time Story."

Have a nice day and stay connected.

 
Bill Gaw
bg@bbasicsllc.com 
760-945-5596

Next Week’s Subject: Brain Storming Techniques

A JUST IN TIME STORY 

This is a story about a person who was the master of his time schedule. His name was John Seymour and he lived on Long Island in New York. He was married with two children. His profession was that of a production manager. He was very successful and he attributed his success to following finite routines … both at home and at work. 

Every work day he would wake up at precisely 06:00AM, get out of bed and do 15 minutes of stretch exercises, take a 5 minute shower, take 5 minutes to brush teeth and shave and 8 minutes to get dressed. He repeated this exact time table each and every workday.  

He would then go downstairs where his wife had his breakfast waiting for him, he would take 16 minutes to eat his breakfast, 2 minutes to say his goodbyes and then get into his car and drive 14 minutes to where he would catch the ferry each and every workday.   

It took him 3 minutes to walk to the ferry and he would board it at precisely 07:15AM each and every workday. 

One morning, John wakes up at 06:40AM (40 minutes late). He jumps out of bed, skips his exercises, takes a fast shower and shave, jumps into his clothes, runs downstairs and grabs a piece of toast as he sprints for his car.

He drives 85 MPH to the ferry parking lot, dumps his car and runs like a deer for the ferry and as he arrives at the landing, the ferry is already 10 feet from the shore.  

He takes a flying leap for the ferry, lands on the ferry's deck, slips and falls and then slides across the deck crashing into some lounge chairs.  

A guy walks up to him and says "Why did you do that, we would have been at the dock in another minute."

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