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Mark Eastman

What’s the Best Way to Navigate the Difficulties of Life?

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This Life Expedition is Made Easier with a Good Leader and a Good Plan

This past weekend our area was hit by a strong wind. I’m talking about a really, really strong wind. I’ve heard reports ranging from 80 to 100 miles per hour. I don’t know what the exact wind speed was, but what I do know is this…there was a lot of damage, a Ferris wheel blown over at the county fair, and a widespread electric outage for around to 24 hours in some areas.

The upside is that I haven’t heard of any serious injuries and witnessed neighbors helping neighbors.

Being without electricity for that amount of time brought to light how spoiled we are.

Don’t get me wrong…I love being spoiled with electricity and don’t want to go without it. But the disruption this caused to our everyday routines was evident. No electricity meant – no air conditioning, for those of us with well water…no running water, no charging of cell phones, thawing of food in freezers, etc.

This meant starting my day without my normal morning shower or coffee. ☹

I love routines and am much more productive when they are followed, but sometimes things happen that upset those routines. The question is how are we going to handle these disruptions?

Sometimes these routines can become so prominent that we become rigid and don’t look outside them. Jesus pointed this out to the Pharisees in Luke 14:1-6. Jesus was healing people on the Sabbath, and the Pharisees were stuck in their rules and laws. Jesus pointed out to them that if their son or ox fell in a well on the Sabbath, they would help them out.

When we get so set in our ways we don’t want to change. This leads to making excuses. In Luke 14:15-24, Jesus shares a story about people who were invited to a banquet but made up all kinds of excuses not to go.

It isn’t like they were being asked to do something that was hard or unpleasant…it was a banquet after all.

We are like the people in this story. We’ve been invited to an eternal banquet with Jesus, but we get caught up in our daily routines and make excuses for not accepting the invitation. We put it off.

When things like storms and power outages happen, we need to be clear about who we are and what things are the most important. We need to be flexibly rigid.

Life is an expedition and like any big undertaking there are going to be difficulties and hardships along the way.

The question is how are we going to handle them?

If we have a good Leader (Jesus) and a good plan (Bible) the adventure will be much better.

Clarity of the Plan is Key to Knowing What to do and How to do it

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How an Operating System Can Help Your Construction Company Navigate the Business Fog

The past couple of weeks we’ve discussed how an operating system can help you build a successful business and a list of what should be included in a standard operating procedure. This week we’ll look at style and formatting ideas for putting together a plan for operating your company.

It takes thousands of pieces to construct a building. If these pieces aren’t put together in the right place and in the right order, the end project is not what was expected. It might even lead to the building collapsing.

This can be avoided with a clear plan and good communication.

The same is true for a business. There are thousands of pieces that need to be put together in the right place and in the right order if the company is going to survive and become successful.

You don’t want your business to collapse, do you?

A Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) is the current hot title for this document. I will agree that these three words do a pretty good job of summarizing what this is, but don’t want to get caught up in what it’s called. You can call it whatever you want.

Just like you can call it what you want, you can design it however you want. Here are some ideas that you might want to include in your operating system.

  • Determine the format – This can be as simple or as complex as you want it to be.
  • Gather the relevant stakeholders – When you start discussing the system you should include anyone who has a stake in the process.
  • Define the structure – Bigger companies will likely have a more formal structure and startups, or smaller companies may use a more informal process.
  • Determine the scope – Keep in mind that you should have a clearly defined scope. It may involve multiple areas and people but be sure to not lose focus on your goals.
  • Be consistent in style – This makes it easier for the person who’s going to be using it if it’s a clear consistent style throughout the whole document.
  • Include all steps of the process – Record all steps that are required to complete a certain process.
  • Choose the right metrics for measuring success – To understand if you’re achieving your target results, you need to determine what the key performance indicators are.
  • Test the process – To make sure that your system is good or to make any final edits and tweaks, ask some of the team who will be using it for their feedback.
  • Implement the process – Once you’ve completed the above steps, you’re ready to implement. Keep in mind that these procedures are dynamic and will change with time.
  • Plan for regular reviews and updates – Since the construction industry and your business processes are changing all the time, your standard operating procedures should too!

An SOP is not a document to be made and forgotten about. It’s a manual that people use daily. So…it must be reliable.

Revising your SOPs every 6 or 12 months is a must if you want to stay on top of any changes and keep on delivering the best possible results.

As the owner or operator of a construction company, your head probably feels like it’s going to explode with all the things you’re trying to keep track of and do. Wouldn’t it be great if you had some help doing some of those things?

The problem with this is…now you have to teach and train them, and either you or they are going to forget something. Wouldn’t it be nice if there was an operating manual that they could refer to?

There could be. You just have to decide if you want to continue doing things the way we’ve always done it, hit and miss way. Or use the better, clear plan that can be implemented by a new hire or used by the most experienced team member.

If you would like to discuss this more set up a free 30-minute construction company consultation.

How Do We Find the Balance of Leading and Following?

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Most People Just Drift Through Life Because It Seems Easier

Leading and following can both be scary. Leading means you have the responsibility, and if things don’t go well, you can get blamed. Following requires you to give up control, and we don’t like that either.

Drifting through life without any responsibility and doing whatever we want sounds like the better easier option.

Part of what makes drifting seem like the better plan is not having a bunch of rules to follow. One thing that pushes people away from the church is all the laws that God gave us. They can seem overwhelming.

We all know about the Ten Commandments. But what about the other 613? That’s right, there are actually over six hundred commandments in the Bible.

Whether or not 613 is the exact count is not that important. What is important is that the purpose of the law was to point us to Christ. Galatians 3:24 says, “In fact, the Law was to be our teacher until Christ came. Then we could have faith and be acceptable to God”.

No one can perfectly obey all the commandments, no matter how many or few there are. In fact, no one can obey the Ten Commandments completely. The Law makes our sinfulness evident (Romans 7:7). God gave us the Law to define sin and demonstrate our need for a Savior. Jesus is the only one who has perfectly obeyed the Law. Through His life, death, and resurrection, He fulfilled all of God’s righteous commands (Matthew 5:17-18).

Drifting through life is not God’s plan for us here on earth.

He has given each of us a purpose. Fulfilling this purpose requires taking responsibility. He has given us everything we need to succeed, but it’s up to us to do it. We all have a unique purpose.

It’s up to us to figure out who we are and take the lead to fulfill our purpose.

So, who are you?

You are a unique combination of things that make you, you.

Like me, you may be a husband, a father, a son, a brother, a business owner, a township board member, and a raft of other things. But whoever you are, you are unique.

In Luke 9:18-20, Jesus asks His disciples who people say that He is. Some said John the Baptist, some said Elijah, others said a prophet from long ago. Jesus asked them, “Who do you say that I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Messiah sent from God.”

Jesus knew who He was. Peter knew who He was. The disciple knew who He was. The problem was that they had a misconception of what that meant. They thought He was going to be a powerful worldly king and ruler.

There is no question that Jesus was a popular item and people wanted to be a part of it. These people would say, “I will follow You anywhere.” Then Jesus would lay out the plan for them, and they would come up with all kinds of excuses. Luke 9:57-62

We all do this. We get one thing in our head and then we are disappointed when things aren’t what we expected.

If we believe Jesus is the Son of God and our Savior, then we need to not question Him, but follow Him. It’s all about priorities and what you choose to make most important.

The balance of leading and following is to follow Jesus and lead others to do the same.

What Should be Included in Your Company’s Standard Operating Procedure?

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Like Everything Else in Your Business, the Answer to That Question is Up to You

Last week we talked about preparing an operating system for businesses and how it can help you build a successful construction company. I pointed out that a standard operating procedure is a set of detailed step-by-step instructions that describe how to carry out any given process.

I discussed that it would allow you to –

  • Achieve consistent results
  • Reduce costs and increase productivity
  • Create a higher level of standards

This all sounds great, but what does it really mean?

Let’s break standard – operation – procedure down as it applies to business.

Standard – Is a consistent basis of comparison, an approved model, as determined by you as the owner and/or your leadership team. It recognizes a level of acceptable excellency. It is the level that the bar is set and where you let everyone on your team know what is expected.

Operation – Is a highly organized activity involving many people doing different things that contribute to the outcome of the whole. It is the performance of practical work involving practical application of principles and processes.

Procedure – Refers to a comprehensive set of instructions that prescribes a certain way of performing a process, or part of a process, in relation to time. It states a chronological sequence for undertaking activities, to achieve the objectives. Procedures are meant for members of the organization, including directors, managers, and workers to be pursued. It states exactly what course of action is to be followed by an employee in a specific circumstance.

Like everything in your company, you get to decide what and how things are done. Your operating procedures are no different. You get to decide…

  • What your standards are going to be
  • How your operations are going to be organized
  • What procedures you are going to implement

Constructing your Standard Operating Procedure.

Here is a list of things that are typically used in a SOP –

  • A Title Page
    • Title
    • Names of people who created the document
    • Dates when the document was created
    • Departments, divisions or people who will use this document
  • Table of Contents
    • A table of contents allows team members to easily find sections and areas quickly.
  • Introduction
    • The purpose and scope of this document
    • Roles and responsibilities of team members who are involved in the process
    • Resources and materials that team members will need to complete procedures
    • Cautions and warnings related to the procedures used in the process
  • Procedures
    • This is the essence of your SOP. Here you describe what needs to be done, the order of the tasks, and methodology team members need to follow. You can list the different steps here and if the process is more complex, include sub-steps to describe all activities in detail. You can include diagrams, images, and/or illustrations when appropriate. Imagery can be an effective way of explaining how to get things done.
  • Quality Control
    • Team members can keep track of performance on a case-by-case basis or over a period of time by consulting with this section.
      • Best practices related to a specific procedure
      • Guidelines on how to measure their performance
      • Samples of previous results
  • References and Glossary
    • Here you can include all the terms, resources, and documents that might be in the procedure section. This is especially helpful if you’re onboarding a new hire, and they’re not familiar with your company and business concepts.

These are examples of things that should be included in your company’s Standard Operating Procedures. Like I said before, it’s your company so you can pick and choose what will be included in your business.

As we go forward on this topic I will continue to go deeper and provide more specific about how to prepare an SOP for your company. Keep in mind that this process is like every other part of building your dream business.

It takes a lot of bricks to build a successful business.

Like I said last week, your company’s SOP is an important part of the Blueprint for Building a Better Business. and is one of the tools that we plan to include in the Business Building Toolbox.

The Right Soil Makes All the Difference in How Things Grow

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But Regardless, Nothing Will Grow if Nothing is Planted

The property where my wife and I live was my grandparents when I was a little boy, and my grandpa farmed it. Then as I got a little older my dad began farming it, and I was privileged to drive a tractor and work the ground. I loved farming. It’s one of my fondest memories growing up.

The problem with the ground is that it’s hard and consists of a lot of clay. Grandpa used to always kid about it. He would say that there was 30 minutes when it would be just the right moisture content and would plow great. That time was between being too wet and being too dry, and the perfect time would always happen while he was eating lunch.

Pastor Lisa’s sermon this past Sunday was about the farmer and sowing the seeds in Luke 8:4-15. Most of us are familiar with this Bible story where the farmer went out to scatter seed in a field. While he was doing this, some of the seeds fell along the road and were stepped on or eaten by birds. Other seeds fell on rocky ground and started growing. But the plants did not have enough water and soon dried up. Some seeds fell where thornbushes grew up and choked the plants.

The rest of the seeds fell on good ground where they grew and produced a hundred times as many seeds.

This Scripture is such a good example of how we are to be aware of the different soils around us, understand them, and improve them so that we can produce a hundred times more than we thought we could.

As she was sharing this story I was reminded of the soil at home and a conversation I had last week with Alex Gottlob from Gottlob Lawn and Landscape.

This conversation centered around replacing a tree that died this past year and planting some additional ones in the hard clay soil at home. He gave me some great advice on how to improve the soil and the odds of the trees living in this kind of dirt.

The first thing to note is…soil can be made better.

Clay soil is much more than simple dirt but when it comes to clay soil – it can be complicated. It’s not as difficult as you may think; improving clay soil involves mixing organic materials, such as bark, sawdust, peat moss, composting materials, or manure, directly into the soil.

Alex suggested mixing cotton burr half and half with the dirt that we dig out. Cotton burr compost is a byproduct of the cotton fiber harvesting process and consists of cotton plants’ leaves, stalks, and seeds. It is an all-around compost high in both macro and micronutrients. It’s great for amending heavy clay soil.

Another suggestion was a root stimulator. Root stimulator encourages root development, specifically the fine root hair development. Root stimulation promotes the fine root density and adds a beneficial fungus, called Mycorrhizae. It also helps the tree transition from fall to winter, which is a good thing considering that we’re going to be planting them in the early fall.

The last and maybe the most important is watering. The trees we’re getting ready to plant vary from 8’ to 14’ tall. Trees of this size will need 10-20 gallons of water per week each. We also need to spread mulch around the trees to reduce evaporation and provide insulation for the roots.

This hard clay soil is not ideal for growing but can be made better if we put in the work.

This is the same for us. We can be made better with work.

Today’s Bible story tells us how the seed is God’s message and the seeds that fell along the road are the people who hear the message. But the devil comes and snatches the message out of their hearts, so they will not believe and be saved.

The seeds that fell on rocky ground are the people who gladly hear the message and accept it. But they don’t have deep roots, and they believe only for a little while. As soon as life gets hard, they give up.

The seeds that fell among the thornbushes are people who hear the message. But they are so eager for riches and pleasures that they never produce anything.

Those seeds that fell on good ground are the people who listen to the message and keep it in good and honest hearts. They endure and produce a harvest.

Where we plant seeds makes a difference and may require different actions and applications. But we can change our dirt if we choose to. More importantly, nothing will grow if nothing is planted.

Go out and plant some good seeds and watch them grow.

How Can I Prepare a Standard Operating System for My Company

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Why Building a Successful Construction Business Requires Having a Plan

Over the past few weeks, we’ve discussed how building your business is critical to the success of your business and the importance of keeping your business in balance. After more than forty years of construction experience, I tend to view most things from a “building perspective”. Today we’re going to compare once again building a business and a construction project.

One of the most important parts of the plan for building a good building has nothing to do with physical construction. It has to do with processes and systems.

I have written about how building and operating a business can be like standing in the shadow of an overwhelming mountain and not knowing how to get past it. When you find yourself facing a mountainous obstacle it helps to have a plan.

One of those mountains when running a construction company is being pulled in too many different directions. Trying to operate all the different pieces of a business can be a big mountain. Having a clear plan and being organized can help you manage your mountain.

In your business, you have a specific way of getting things done.

But things are constantly changing, employees come and go, customers come and go, and if your company is going to stay in business you need to keep delivering high-quality construction projects regardless of the obstacles. This chaos just makes the mountain bigger.

So how can you maintain steady consistency with your company’s end results?

In an online article Workflow Automation shares how having standard operating procedures (SOPs) can help your business eliminate confusion around processes that are performed daily. This will allow your employees to be more productive and minimize mistakes! These procedures help you break down even the most complex processes so even a novice can manage these tasks from start to finish.

So, what exactly is a standard operating procedure?

A standard operating procedure is a set of detailed step-by-step instructions that describe how to carry out any given process. Companies that are serious about process management use SOPs to manage their day-to-day activities.

Having Standard Operating Procedures allow you to:

  • Achieve consistent results. With standard operating procedures, you complete your processes in the same way and achieve the right results every time.
  • Reduce costs and increase productivity. When everyone does the same task in different ways, eventually your organization will run into inefficiencies that cost you time and money. With SOPs you can streamline the process and increase productivity.
  • Create a consistently higher level of standards. SOPs are very useful when it comes to getting everyone on the same page and provides a standard way of getting things done.

Organizational paperwork is critical to having a business that operates smoothly and successfully. Having an organizational plan can answer a lot of questions before they’re ever asked.

This whole operational procedures thing sounds like a great idea, but also sounds like a lot of paperwork.

And the problem is…most construction people don’t like paperwork.

In a future post we will dig deeper into what is included in an operating procedure and how to prepare and implement one in your business.

Having an operational procedure is an important part of the Blueprint for Building a Better Business and is one of the tools that we plan to include in the Business Building Toolbox.

Portions of this are from a previous post on 10/27/18

How Do I Change My Perspective…Because I Want to Know the Truth

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Our Perception of Things Depends on What Lens We Chose to Look Through

How we see things is too often something that we don’t give much thought to. We drift through life assuming things we hear and see are reality, when in fact they may not be.

Doug Miller made a statement in Sunday School once about people in Ireland dying after eating potatoes.

There was a time in the 1700s when everyone that ate potatoes in Ireland died.

What’s your first thought after reading this statement? If you’re like most people you’re wondering what was wrong with those potatoes.

The rest of the story, as Paul Harvey would say, was this. There was nothing wrong with the potatoes. Because…everyone who lived in Ireland in the 1700s has died whether that ate potatoes or not. That was more than two hundred years ago, and no one lives that long. The point of the story is this…

A true statement may not be the truth.

It’s easy to make assumptions based on what we hear or see. But is it the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth? Being aware that we make prematurely make assumptions about situations is where we begin to understand this problem.

So, what do we do about it?

We are intentional about what lens we use to look at things. We need to ask questions like a little kid and keep on asking them over and over, seeking the truth.

In Luke 4:14-30 Jesus was preaching in His hometown and what He was saying was not what his childhood neighbors expected. He was a carpenter’s son after all. He shouldn’t be saying that He was the fulfillment of the Scripture. That He was God come to earth.

This preconceived perception by people was what lead them to take Him to the edge of a cliff to throw Him over. Verses 28-29

Then Jesus leaves and goes to Capernaum (Luke 6:17-27) There He does preaching and healing and people came from all over to listen and be healed. It was an amazing thing that was happening. These people didn’t want Him to leave.

He told those who were following Him that things were going to be different than they seemed. What they thought was backward.

  • People who are poor will be blessed
  • People who are hungry will have plenty to eat
  • People who are crying will laugh

God will bless you when others hate you.

  • You rich people who’ve had an easy life will have struggles
  • You well fed people will go hungry
  • You who are laughing now will be crying and weeping

The Pharisees and teachers of the Law didn’t like this. They were feeling their power and authority being threatened by Jesus and they began to look for a way to get rid of Him. (Luke 6:6-11)

This is not to say that if you have money, food and are happy that you can’t be blessed. Look at King Solomon. God says is that our blessings come from what we believe and where our focus and loyalty is.

Are we looking at things through a worldly or Heavenly lens?

You can choose to build your life on the solid foundation of Christ or on the shaky one of the world. (Luke 6:46-49) Seek the truth and look at things through a Heavenly lens.

The Time Spent on Clear Communication is Worth Every Second

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So, if it’s Worth It…Why is it Not Done?

You probably guessed it already; this week’s topic is COMMUNICATION and the all-too-common lack of it. Because poor communication is such a big issue, I’ve written about it a lot.

In a production meeting with a customer yesterday I was once again reminded of the importance of clear communication and…the lack of it. The conversation revolved around how the subcontractors were doing.

The customers were very happy with their work and pleased with the effort to put plastic over door openings and to cover furniture in the work area. But she said, “We’ve never had an interior construction project done before.

I wish I had known how much dust was created, and I would have covered some additional things.”

Keep in mind that after forty plus years of doing construction, I knew that this was a very clean job site. The point is this…she didn’t know what to expect, and I should have let her know.

I should have communicated better.

Let’s look at reasons, results, and remedies for…

  • Misunderstandings due to poor or no communication
  • Being blindsided by cost overruns or hidden costs
  • Completed projects not being what you wanted or expected
  • Not understanding construction terminology

What is communication?

According to the Britannica Dictionary, communication is:

            “…the act or process of using words, sounds, signs, or behaviors to express or exchange information or to express your ideas, thoughts, feelings, etc., to someone else”

We all have our own perceptions and understanding of words, phrases, and gestures. I presume I know what you mean, and you do the same thing. This happens with spouses, family, close friends, and people we know well. If it happens in these relationships, it only makes sense that it will be more common with strangers.

Reasons people don’t communicate:

  • Takes time – People now expect things instantaneously. We have high speed internet at the tips of our fingers. Photos are developed the moment they’re taken and can be printed instantly via a wireless connection to a printer. We don’t have time to prepare or read through a multi-page document explaining a construction project.
  • Overwhelming – Reading through pages and pages of descriptions and explanations of construction legalese is a daunting task. As a customer, I probably won’t understand half of it. It’ll be easier to just go ahead and start. We’ll figure out the details as we go. I know what I want and I’m sure the contractor does too…NOT!
  • Lost skill – Communication is a two-way process. It requires both giving and receiving, speaking and hearing, writing and reading, expressing and understanding. If we don’t know how to use these skills, we can’t communicate effectively. Good communication requires more than emojis and hashtags.
  • Don’t like conflict – Most people don’t like conflict, but it can be positive. Conflict is always difficult but can lead to growth and change. It indicates commitment and can lead to better outcomes. It allows us to see the other side’s position. We should be willing to discuss disagreements without our feelings being hurt.

Results of poor communication:

  • Project wasn’t what you expected – You have a vision of how your finished project is going to look. You can see it in your mind. When you come home one evening, excited to see what has been done and then…it doesn’t look anything like the picture in your mind. What happened?
  • Cost overruns – You’ve saved and/or borrowed the money you think you’ll need to do the upcoming construction project. You get an estimate of what it’s going to cost. Sure, it’s more than you expected, but that’s alright; it will be worth it in the end, right. Then you get the final bill, and it’s a lot more than expected. Now what? Where are you going to find the additional money?
  • Time overruns – The contractor says, “Your project will be done in no time.” “This won’t take too long.” “We’ll be finished by the end of the month.” “This project will only take a few weeks.” This sounds great, but how long is too long, by the end of which month, how many weeks is a few? Trust me, your contractor’s definition of time idea is most likely different than yours.
  • Not knowing what’s going on – As you’re talking with your contractor, he’s telling you how this thingamajig is going to support that doohickey. We use the newest and best gadget to build our gizmos. All the while you are nodding your head as if you know exactly what he’s talking about. When, in reality, you have no clue. Wouldn’t it be worth it to ask some questions?

Poor communication can be solved with time and effort.

Trust me, clear communication is worth every second spent so just do it.

Updated post from 9/23/19

Repentance is More Than Just Saying “I’m Sorry”, It’s a Commitment to Change

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Saying “I’m Sorry” is a Lot Easier Than Actually Living It Out

Changing is not an easy thing to do. It’s a lot easier to say the words than it is to really change. Words come out of our mouths and roll off our tongues like warm butter on a hot biscuit. Then we move on to the next thing we’re going to need to say “I’m sorry” for.

When we get caught doing something wrong, it’s natural to feel embarrassed and even truly sorry. However, we can get stuck in a rut of saying “I’m sorry” but not actually change anything. The Bible tells us, “If we confess our sins to God, he can be trusted to forgive us and take our sins away.” (1 John 1:9)

So according to the Bible, we must say that we’re sorry, but it doesn’t stop there. “Turn back to God! The kingdom of heaven will soon be here.” (Matthew 3:2)

Saying I’m sorry is not enough.

The children’s message given by sisters Lesa and Jodi illustrated this very well.

Banana Smashing Skit
Jodi: Ooh…I love bananas. I see you have some tasty bananas there.
Lesa: Yep! I do! Would you like one?
Jodi: Oh yes! I would!
Lesa: Okay, I’ll get you one. (Places a banana on the table away from the bunch and smashes it.)
Jodi: Hey! You said you were going to give me a banana, not smash it. How can I eat a smashed banana?
Lesa: Oh dear! I am so sorry. Truly sorry. Let me get you one right now. (Gets another banana and smashes it.)
Jodi: Have you gone bonkers? That was my banana. You said you were giving me that. Now there are two smashed bananas. I don’t think you are really sorry.
Lesa: (Puts down the mallet.) Yes, I am truly sorry. Look, I am putting down my hammer. Would you like a banana?
Jodi: Well, yes, I would but no more smashing.
Lesa: No problem. Now close your eyes.
Jodi: No way. You might smash a banana on me.
Lesa: Never. I am sorry, really.
Jodi: Okay. (The volunteer closes his eyes.)
Lesa: (Picks up a banana, peels it, and takes a bite.) Yum!
Jodi: (Opens her eyes.) Hey!!!!

Well, what do you think? Was she really sorry? I don’t think so. How could we tell? Because she didn’t change her behavior.

To repent is to regret so deeply as to change the mind or conduct and develop new mental or spiritual habits.

Last week Pastor Buffum asked us to read through the first 3 chapters of Luke. This week she went through them pointing out the connections of cousins John and Jesus. Their similarities and their differences.

In Luke 3:3-18, John is telling people to turn back to God and their sins will be forgiven. He told us to get ready and stop just saying we’re sorry and to do something to show that we’re really giving up our sins.

John said that just because we say that we’re Christians doesn’t mean that we are. God can turn stones in to Christians if He wants to.

God has an axe ready to cut down any tree that’s not producing good fruit and throw it in the fire.

I don’t know about you…but I don’t want to be thrown in the fire.

The crowds asked John, “What should we do?” He said to share your food and clothes with those who don’t have any. To stop charging people more than they owe and not to scare people into paying you to keep them safe.

Repentance requires more than just words. It is being aware of the need for change and doing something about it.

Repentance is a commitment to change and do better.

How Can I Determine Which Thing on the List Should Be Done First?

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It’s Amazing How Things Become Clear with a Limited Amount of Time

The discussion in our mastermind group this past week was around productivity and how to be more productive. It started with the question of, what does productivity mean and what does it look like to be productive?

What is productivity? Now there’s a question for you to answer. We have a limited amount of time in a day, a year, or a life.

Productivity generally refers to the ability of an individual, team, or organization to work efficiently within that time in order to maximize output.

High productivity results from a mix of factors: motivation, personality, natural talent, training or education, environment, support from others, time management, and things that happen that are outside of our control.

Output / Input = Productivity

So, what is output? This is one of the things that makes the question of productivity so hard to answer. But this is where we need to start with the productivity question. What is the most important thing to accomplish in this finite amount of time we’ve been given?

There are so many things trying to get on the “to do” list and each one competing for the top position. Deciding which one should get that spot is tough. There are so many great and important things that we need or want to do.

It’s easy to say that we have limited time, but hard to actually schedule things that way.

My computer’s battery is not lasting as long as it did when it was new. Recently while working out of the office, without the power cord, I had 2-3 things that I wanted to get done before the computer shut down. This limited time forced me to sort and prioritize them.

How do we decide what to say yes to?

Emergency situations often require triage. This is the process of prioritizing a patient’s treatments based on the severity of their condition and the resources available. In these situations, victims are divided into three categories.

  • Those who are likely to live, regardless of what care they receive;
  • Those who are unlikely to live, regardless of what care they receive;
  • Those for whom immediate care might make a positive difference in outcome.

These choices aren’t easy and often require a quick “gut decision”. A pre-determined system, training, and experience aid in the process and provide for the greatest number of survivors.

Another life and death choice is deciding who gets a transplant when there are a limited number of organ donations available. Take for example a set of twins who both need a liver transplant, and their father has one liver to give. Which little girl gets it? The early thoughts of a father would be to give half to each. The problem with this, half wouldn’t help either. The final decision will be determined by which one needs it most or which one is most likely to survive.

Most of the choices that we make in business aren’t this critical…or are they? The decisions we make can mean life or death for our business.

In medical life or death situations, there is a system and plan in place before hand. This same type of system should be implemented in our business. We should predetermine how we are going to choose the most important thing to the life of our business. This is where things get hard.

What makes one thing more important than another?

What should be the highest priority? Should it be production or proposals, record keeping or customer service, marketing or staff? We’re faced with tough decisions in business every day.

I can’t answer this question for you, but having a “business triage” system will give your business the highest chance for survival.

Our 5-step BUILD process helps us prioritize and manage all the hundreds of decisions we’re faced with every day in our business. You can find out if the business building tools are right for you here.