A client called, a little frustrated

She asked did I have any figures on how much it costs when you stop a job and the restart it.

I said I hadn’t  seen anything on the is topic.

Later I thought about my own business. If I had a job to do in the workshop It would take all day to do what I thought was a 2 hour Job. If I came back at night by myself then this job would take…. 2 hours, or less.

Two of my most productive people I ever had shared a common trait. When I watched them work I couldn’t believe how slow they moved– it was frustrating . These two people shared other  traits, they took a while to l learn the job, and then once they were working they did not allow themselves to be interrupted. At the end of the day their work was done.

This makes me wonder of the wisdom of open offices where no one has an individual quiet place to work.

Tips:

· If someone is working, let them keep working, don’t break their concentration.

· Set up an environment where people have their own space to work.

· Beware of the workshop discussion groups—what are they really discussing.

· Measure results, don’t prejudge on first appearances.

Jim Boyer.

Business Coach

Originally published May 2010