In the midst of a client coaching call, my mind floated off to the plains of Africa. Fear not, I took my client with me as I intend to take you now.
In the early 90s, I took a year out to travel the world. I like to think of it as long service leave after a successful decade, but a response to a ‘burnt out and buggered’ state is nearer the truth.
Semantics aside, I found myself in Zimbabwe with my dear sister. Here we were in the back of an old Landrover about to drive off on safari.
As we readied ourselves, our guide handed us a large sheet of paper with names and line drawings of the animals and birds we were likely to encounter. There were hundreds of them and alongside each was a little checkbox. See the species, tick the box. Easy really.
The effect of using this checklist was profound. Instead of just staring out the window in amazement, we looked intently at every moving thing and made sure we distinguished between a Great White Pelican and a Pink-backed Pelican.
In business - as evidenced by my client who had just suffered from a disturbing failing in a key aspect of his work - using checklists help ensure we do routine things completely and efficiently.
Two key examples that benefit me hugely are my checklists for ‘Organising speaking engagements’ and ‘Taking on new clients’.
Both checklists have a number of key components and actions covering details that if omitted, make me look very silly.
“Didn’t I tell you I needed a laptop for my presentation? Oops.”
Hey, who wants to write a new checklist this week? Who has a gem to share?
“ I like to think of it as long service leave after a successful decade, but a response to a ‘burnt out and buggered’ state is nearer the truth. ”
Robert Gerrish is one of the Flying Solo crew and supports soloists as a coach and consultant. He presents at conferences and networking events and bangs on to the media or anyone who listens, about all things micro. Along with Sam Leader and Peter Crocker, he's the co-author of Flying Solo – How to go it alone in business.
