Spring is a time
of baby squirrels
and newborn robins.
It is a time
of budding maple trees
and sprouting daffodil bulbs.
It is a time
for starting fresh,
for change,
for hope.
Harness that optimism.
Hitch onto that momentum.
Start that project
you’re passionate about.
There is change all
around you.
Contribute your own change
to the chaos.
Take action today.
Yesterday,
we talked about all
the reasons
employees shouldn’t store
company files
in their home.
Many of those reasons
apply to
digital files also.
Employees shouldn’t store
company files
on their personal phones,
laptops, other devices.
If a company requires
employees
to store digital files
on devices,
they should supply the devices.
These company-supplied devices
are property of the company.
The company can access them
remotely at any time.
They can monitor activity
on them.
They can lock them down.
And they can run virus scans
on them.
The leaders at a company
should WANT the ability
to do all this.
Supply a device
if you want your employees
to store files digitally
off site.
It will be worth
the investment.
DON’T ask employees
to store company documents at home.
I can’t believe I have to say this
but DON’T.
It is a fast track to failing audits.
And it also puts your employees
at risk
of jail time.
It places confidential information
(and anything with company information
like addresses
on it
is confidential information)
at risk
of being stolen.
It puts the business
at risk of a lawsuit
from that employee.
You’re forcing their home
to act as a storage unit
for the business.
That also causes all sorts
of tax issues.
Figure out another solution
to your document storage issues.
Don’t ask employees
to store company documents.
Getting any tasks done
right now,
with the multiple pandemics
happening,
is challenging.
People are taking time off
for illness.
Or, often worse,
they’re working while ill.
There’s low energy
and brains are fuzzy.
So if I want something done
and I’m feeling great,
I make it as easy
as possible
for the other person
to complete the task.
I clear the working space,
for example.
I provide all the information
they’d need
in one easy document.
I list the tasks
that need to be completed.
I do as much as possible
myself.
And that increases
the probability
tasks will be completed.
Make assigned tasks
as easy as possible
for your partners
to complete.
One of my dumba$$ friends
told me
he planned to intentionally
get measles
so he could build his immunity up.
Measles is a BAD disease.
There’s a risk of dying,
of going blind,
of being ill for the rest
of our lives.
And it makes people VERY ill
in the short run.
Who the f*ck has time for that?
I’ve got sh*t to do.
Give me a vaccine shot
and let me get back to work.
There’s very little upside
to becoming ill.
There’s a f*ckload of downside.
Including death.
And being ill sucks
valuable time
we could use to build businesses
and change the world.
Take a hard pass
on intentionally infecting yourself.
We have an ‘extra’ day
this year.
Spend a little time
today
working on your dreams,
on your goals,
on your resolutions.
Use a few moments
for yourself,
for what YOU feel
is important.
We have an extra day.
Make this day count.
I’ve posted in the past about
how being approachable
benefits
our businesses.
People tell us
useful sh*t.
But, but,
you say,
‘X isn’t approachable
and he’s a billionaire.’
You’re not
a f*ckin’ billionaire.
Yet.
Billionaires play by their own rules
because they’re the people
creating the rules.
And yes, X is a total d*ck
but I suspect he has people
working for him
who are more approachable.
You and I are
building our businesses.
People are more likely
to be within arm’s reach
of us
than of X billionaire.
We should try
our d@mnedest not to be d@cks
to our customers.
A ‘reader’ emails me
every so often
and, in that email,
she always makes
the joke
that I should be giving her
my books for free.
The first time
she made the joke,
I ignored it
and answered her other questions.
We all make
bad jokes
from time to time.
Now, I ignore her emails
because I realize
her ‘joke’ isn’t truly a joke.
She might say she’s joking
but she’s not.
She truly does think
I should give her
my stories for free.
And I suspect
she isn’t buying my stories
now.
If someone makes the same joke
more than once,
they likely aren’t joking.
Assume they’re serious.
It takes me,
on average,
3 follow up communications
now
to see action
on anything.
I’m usually promised
action
on the first contact
and
the second
and the third.
Then on the fourth contact,
I point out,
yet again,
that nothing has been done.
I tell them
I’ll wait
until I receive confirmation
it has been done.
And they usually don’t
fight that
(as they do
on the first three contacts)
because they now know
I’ll come back.
Follow up.
Don’t assume
action has been taken.
And factor that follow up
in your timelines.
Yesterday, I talked about
how I tend to put my head down
and work
when the rest of the world
gets too much for me.
When I do this,
I always worry a little bit
I’ll miss something big,
something key,
something that would put
myself and my loved ones
or my businesses in danger.
This worry isn’t real.
If something big happens,
someone will tell me.
Usually multiple people
will tell me.
I’m fortunate
to have people
who remain informed
and feel the responsibility
to inform others,
including me.
AND I don’t usually disconnect
for long periods of a time.
I usually check in
at least once a week.
If something big happens,
people will tell you.
A short break from the world
is unlikely to harm you.