GETTING THE JOB DONE

10 October 2008
Nothing says efficiency like getting the job done on time and within budget.

Some people have more excuses than they have sense. They can tell you their version of why something isn’t completed as promised but fail to take any personal responsibility for the failure. This is even when they were in charge of the project.

We have all heard of what has been called “mob mentality.” Get enough people together and individual convictions and restrains give way to the will of the crowd. My basic question to those who have been caught up in “mob mentality” is, what kept you from walking away and calling the authorities at the first sign of something that went against your convictions and personal values?

Let’s take this whole notion to the political mob in Washington. I can’t help but wonder what happens to politicians when they get away from their home districts. The politicians promise that they will be different. The politicians promise they will be sensitive to the needs of America. The politicians promise that they will be responsible. Yet, it isn’t long before they are passing legislation that undermines the convictions and values of their home districts. They return to us wanting to be re-elected spouting their desire to reform the political mess and they whine to us that it was the other political party that is at fault. Is our whole political system made up of nothing more than victims of “mob mentality?”

I shudder to think that our politicians’ personal convictions and values are no stronger than what is portrayed in the media. It appears that Washington merely houses those we elect who overspend our tax dollars while enslaving future generations with what the average American calls fiscal irresponsibility. It appears that to get other politicians to vote favorably on good ideas special favors are attached thereby loading even good ideas with enough “flies in the ointment” to make the average American reject the whole thing. (This isn’t “you scratch my back I’ll scratch yours.” It is a practice that has rejected common sense and the common values that made this nation the envy of the world.) These same politicians vote themselves health insurance plans and retirement packages that the average hard working person cannot get all the while the average common citizen of these United States of America are left paying for the politicians’ “work.”

There are those who pace themselves in a project. They take the time to understand the problem, gather information, and formulate a plan then work to secure a long lasting solution. Once one problem has been addressed appropriately they are able to focus on the next project. The results are pretty much the same: appropriately addressed solution-focused problem solving techniques.

Then there are those who rush into a project. They seem to be constantly going from crisis to crisis, rarely actually fixing anything but merely stabilizing the moment to race after another crisis. Once one problem has been patched they jump to the next crisis. The results are again pretty much the same: inadequate solutions, unformulated ideas, short-term fixes that must be addressed over and over again.

Of course, there are things in life that must be addressed over and over again to keep them running smoothly. In regard to this last sentence common sense comes into play, but the main focus of today’s column is to address the quick-fix band aids that merely plug a leak while failing to address the cause of the leak! Attention paid to the first sign of a problem does not allow it to grow into a crisis. This is being solution-focused and common sense tells us that ignoring a problem only allows it to grow.

Well, you may agree or you may disagree, regardless let’s hope someone begins to stand their ground in the “mob” before The Reaper writes his final report.

Let me say it again, “Nothing says efficiency like getting the job done on time and within budget.”

THE GRIMM REAPER REPORT © 10OCT2008
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