#radandy's antics: Response Time: One way to effectively and efficiently reach a resolution

Response time is distinctly different from reaction time. Response time hinges on thoughtfulness and planning. A response can happen quickly, but often requires setting goals, and defining measurable success, among other details. Consider the following relative to response time:

1. What am I currently doing?

2. How mission critical is it?

3. What goals are in mind for individual and or business, organization, etc. to achieve?

Some examples: monetary gain, piece of mind knowing the client/customer, etc. is satisfied and continues to do business with you, and/or make a recommendation for you, and even building a good reputation in general.

All of these have value and worth, but redirecting focus from one to another does not always make it better for you or your business. The disruption domino effect caused is not worth the consequences of a ‘knee jerk’ reaction. Others you are involved with at the time conflict arises are all connected in some way. Take appropriate action in planning response and obtaining the request goal you are asked of. This reaction, a more reflex response, is often blended with the original thoughtful response and planning. It is then executed to meet end goals for everyone involved. This combination of planning, awareness, and flexibility minimizes stress, anxiety, misunderstanding, and downtime. In simple form: react, respond, and recover.

Every Step is Money

If you observe a laborer on any job site, it is likely that you will find efficient use of each worker’s movement through space. I recall my time working in construction. The importance of material placement is crucial. In roofing, whenever possible, shingles were place on roof by delivery, which saves hours of arduously climbing ladders. Sheathing and plywood are also good examples within the industry. Framing lumber and sheet goods, closely and safely accessible to cutting area, the building’s foundation, and wall building areas. Other examples where carefully considered precision movement and juxtaposition of people, tools, structures, improve efficiency and safety.

On any construction job, as well as for most any occupation from Educator to Technology Consultant, the choice and placement of necessary tools for any specific task in the relative strategic area are destined to be used in another place nearby. The most success comes from well-considered common placement. No long distance or ineffective logistics prove efficient. If it takes 30 minutes to drill and mount an I beam support and 30 minutes to get a cord plugged in, drill, and set up work area, that can be minimized by placing cord drill nearby task work sites so that each support beam can be quickly mounted by the close proximity placement. This method has a wide variety of applications. Software design and coding have specific loops and commands that execute a function. As the lines of instructions we can set a devise or machine to move turn and perform in one long set (in combination) rather than repeating and loop in segmented smaller ones.

When I get my coffee at the office, as it brews and drips into the cup (that glorious bathtub sound) I simultaneously pour the creamer in, filling the cup as the coffee is done. Even these little tasks add up to yield added efficiency to my day. Hey, an extra step is an extra step. Of course if you drink it black then you are already efficient by saving money with every step regarding the creamer addition. ; )

The Value of Discovering What You Didn’t Know

Guess what? You will find character, pride, power, and honor. I have been asked questions regarding a multitude of the ever-changing issues in the technology field. A major challenge is to speak to topics, methods, equipment and process in a way that is understandable, digestible, and even sometimes educational for clients, partners, collaborators who may not be inclined to the intricacies of technology. When asked details or deeply-layered specifics, research may be required before an appropriate solution can be presented and executed. The inability to rattle off every answer to every scenario may appear to be a vulnerability that weakens professional credibility. I would argue it is not a vulnerability, instead quite the contrary, a valuable asset. Understanding and admitting the unknown is a portrayal of honorable truth. Anyone receiving the information on the other end will respect that. The question goes unanswered but it is always better than a bluff.

Bluffs Don’t Pay

More often than not in a client relationship involving a time-sensitive project a bluff gets exposed and explodes with the recourse in the explanation damaging to character. It is much harder to recover from a faulty bluff than admitting what you don’t know up front. We all want to present ourselves as confident experts. Even if it feels counter intuitive it is actually more beneficial to admit that although you don’t know the answer, it is your expertise to find the solution.

Act and emulate the character of quality by portraying, with patience, persistence and diligence that you have the expertise to find the answers to the tough questions.

The Eager Want

You got to wake up to it everyday. I was told this from a research scientist (my supervisor at a climate change research laboratory) many years ago. It was in regards to a PhD candidate thesis program, years of scientific work, research classes, paper writing of peer reviewed articles, oral examines, dedication to a subject and passion for understating a specific topic. It all culminates to the final thesis. It is a long journey, and during that time ‘you got to wake up to it everyday’. Incentive is good, it allows for some sense of worth and pride knowing that what you are immersed in and engulfed in has some value. But really it is you that needs to know the value.

How does one arrive or achieve an eager want? How does it relate to an individual doing their thesis, their job, and their day-to-day operations? Of course the external factors of money, recognition and status help, but the eager want comes from inter recognition and drive and true belief in what you are doing. Also, in believing in the people around you and supporting their needs, wants and goals. It is the action of reminding each other that yeah, ‘it may suck now’, but let’s look at it from a 1000-mile view. In other words, look at how and what the dedicated passion, drive, and determination of pursuing a job, a thesis defense, and task that gets us beyond, give us the eager want. We can arrive at a place we have dreamed about.

The eager want is a check-in, a positive follow-up by management, its a pat on the back from the boss, the inclusion in a PhD science meeting as a subordinate research technician, knowing that your input matters as well. The eager want is what an individual strives for. But, it is instilled by external interactions and processed internally by these drivers. We see evidence of high performance efficiency and goals achieved when good mangers, collaborators and colleagues are combined in a team with the philosophical outlook of instilling an eager want.

The "must go" soup recipe:

1. Be willing to respond, and react with thoughtfulness, eager to do so with the understanding your customer is depending on, and paying you!

2. Know when and how to react in an efficient and effective way, eager to bring knowledge to the table. Be honorable enough to preserve, if not strengthen your reputation and credibility by admitting you don’t have all the answers every time;

3. Recognize that the details relate to efficiency and execute as an archer.

These are one of many ways we roll at Mosedale Integrated Solutions. Although not perfect all the time, it is perfect in an imperfect way. Clients know there is no bluff as we admit to the unknown; we operate as efficient as we can, like gears moving in a clock, and we strive and thirst for high quality expectations and work ethic instilling a personal and professional need to want to do well and exceed. I’ve out lined the framework, it is far from perfect. But it our sincere and humble way in which we start a day, a week, a year, a project, in business endeavors, and the jungle it resides in.