Managing Your Tool Box - Part One
Sharpen the Saw

When I was District Manager of a local electrical utility, I noticed
how well some workers maintained their tools, and how poorly others did. You can well imagine the correlation I found between good tool maintenance and work performance.

How well do you manage your tool box? I'm talking about the metaphorical tools here, your talents and competencies critical to your job. They may be the accountabilities from your job description, the core competencies of your profession, or the specific skills you and your boss discussed just this past week. Managing those tools is not so difficult, you know. But it does require some time and attention. The next three BRIGHT IDEAS installments will focus on three sets of tips for you: Sharpen the Saw, Pick the Right Tool and Know When to Rent a Tool. The series is dedicated to my Dad Les, who has always taken very good care of his tools and his workshop.

One of Steven Covey's seven habits is Sharpen the Saw. What a great habit to cultivate: understanding that working with a dull saw blade requires so much more time and effort than the same piece of work done with a sharpened blade. We all know this. And yet, in these hectic times of multi-tasking, getting by with less in tough economic times, and the need for short-term results, we find it very hard to stay sharp. Here are some tips on how to create opportunities for sharpening your skills.

1. Give me one hour. The thoughts of attending a day-long seminar in another city, or participating in a 40 hour self-study are sometimes overwhelming. "I'm so busy now, how in the world can I set aside this kind of time?" you ask yourself. You may be right. So you do nothing. Try biting off a smaller chunk, just one hour a week. Commit to reading just one chapter of that software manual or writing just three letters to clients. Put it in your calendar, then do it. The benefits will amaze you. Learning can be energizing, and it should help you build momentum and capability. You might even save an hour this week, and be able to invest an additional hour keeping sharp next week.

2. Take me along. Chances are, you spend half an hour or more each week waiting for something to happen. It could be an appointment or the end of your child's dance lesson, and it may be unavoidable. Why not have the latest business news or professional journal along and read a short article then? This approach does not work well with lengthy articles, or while you are sitting in traffic, believe me (the voice of experience). But, it can help you stay sharp, using time when nothing else is happening.

3. Put me in the work. Jim Huber of Huber Interactives told me that with every job he takes on, he requires himself to sharpen his own skills. It makes the work more interesting for him and it helps him keep building capability. As Jim is my favorite facilitator, I listened to that one. Why not add animation to your next powerpoint presentation, or review those
old statistics texts to determine the true significance of the data in your report? With the focus on application, you will be able to see the benefit of your sharpening on the very next piece of work you do.

4. Work with me team. If you are a leader, here is a way you can help yourself and your team stay up on the latest trends. Ask one member of the team to read and present a five minute report on an article each week. This shows the value you place on learning, and represents an efficient way for all the members of your team to leverage the work of one of your members.

Sharpening your skills is an activity we may ignore during busy times. When you falter, remember the extra time and effort required to work with a dull blade. And, don't lose sight of the fact that the time spent sharpening the blade is sometimes recouped in the very next cut!

For Parts 2 & 3 of BRIGHT IDEAS, please visit http://www.theconsultantsforum.com/smedley7.htm

Lee Smedley, Ed.D., and his firm Smedley Consulting help organizations discover and assume their rightful place and purpose in the world. With more than 25 years experience in education, business management and corporate leadership, he has worked with clients on tasks ranging from company start-ups and mergers to work group problem solving, process design, leadership and team development.  

Dr. Smedley's experience includes field operations management, work as Director of Organizational Development at a Fortune 500 firm, and college teaching.  His clients have included firms across the US, as well as organizations in Canada and the Caribbean.    

He regularly writes a column on leadership for the Northeast Pennsylvania Business Journal and is Past-President of the Reading chapter of the American Society for Training and Development.  He has  served on educational and workforce development advisory councils and committees at Penn State, Kutztown University, the Pennsylvania Economic Development Association and a Small Business Development Center.

SMEDLEY CONSULTING helps people and organizations clarify purpose and achieve progress in making that purpose a reality. It provides services in strategy development, executive coaching, team effectiveness and culture change.

For more info on SMEDLEY CONSULTING please visit http://www.theconsultantsforum.com/smedley.htm