Faster Than a Speeding *yawn*
If you’re bored, get out. Take an afternoon off; read a new perspective; ask a colleague for an honest opinion; take a trip. Your boredom is infectious, so stand on your head, if you have to, until you find the cure. Get back the thrill of pleasing others—that’s what you do for a living. Now envision the future, and plan to take your business there.
If your staff is bored, lead. Don’t set out new directions and expect everyone to fall in line. It won’t happen. Instead, ask questions; listen to the answers; craft direction and improvements together; find ways to draw out the inner leader in each employee. You can’t drag your company kicking and screaming into exciting new growth opportunities. Everybody has to pick up their own little corner, and want to move forward with you. This is what has so many people baffled about Starbucks’ 2008 initiatives. Do their staff, their internal stakeholders, even care?
If your customers are bored, move fast. You don’t have time for someday, when new companies crop up every day waiting to understand and delight your customer in ways you don’t currently care about. Start caring. As a local business owner said to me recently, boring your customers is an insult. An insult to their time, used to visit you; an insult to their loyalty; an insult to their intelligence.
How do you kick boredom when it grabs you?
Grow and be well,
Kelly Erickson
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21 April 2008, 8:30 am
I suppose there are a few ways I kick boredom. I do something totally crazy, something new.
Go and meet someone new. Take a drive to a place I’ve never been, have lunch and talk with the locals.
Sit under my tree in the back yard, with a beer and my notebook, pen in hand.
And one of my favourites – I watch my kids doing a silly dance, and then I do it too… children never seem to get bored, and we can learn from that.
Could this work in a business setting? Sure! What’s wrong with a Friday afternoon rubber band fight?
Thanks for a great post Kelly.
-Brett
21 April 2008, 8:32 am
I’m not sure I’ve ever been bored. I’ve been in boring situations, sure. Trapped in a pointless lecture or meeting, perhaps.
But actually bored? How can you be when there is so much to think about and plan?
21 April 2008, 8:48 am
Brett,
Yes, I remember a talk about getting lost with you before. It does shake things up in just the right way.
I want to see a rubber band fight at the nuclear facility. Tape it, ’cause I’m putting it up on YouTube.
“Nuclear Engineers Gone Wild!”
Thanks as always.
Tony,
My feelings exactly. It’s a conscious decision, though. Doing what it takes to stay fresh before the brain goes stale, eh?
A number of clients I’m talking to right now are utterly bored. They forgot to make those conscious decisions, or they stopped caring to. Maybe there’s a personality component that keeps some of us from ever having to worry about that.
Regards,
Kelly
21 April 2008, 9:45 am
Kelly,
I could tell you a story about how surgical rubber gloves make great water balloons… sadly, there is no video of that one
Tony’s right too. I’ve been in plenty of boring situations. Luckily, my imagination saves me.
-Brett
21 April 2008, 9:48 am
I too wish to see the rubber band fight
Actually I have been in places where employees have Nerf guns and drive by shootings are common – gets rid of tension and livens up the day.
Maybe the bored folk are just beaten down – they’ve given up?
21 April 2008, 9:55 am
Giving up is a danger. I’d rather see folks walk out head held high than fall into uncaring mediocrity. (Well, I’d much rather see people find their Vision again… but barring that.)
Nerf guns at Sears, Best Buy, Starbucks… suddenly the employees are energized, but the customers run in fear!
More viral video ideas…
21 April 2008, 2:28 pm
Okay, the two of you have got me thinking… we have a small group in my office, so I think I’ll hit the local toy store this week and “arm” everybody before Friday afternoon.
My cell phone has a video camera!
You are both right. Never, ever give up. Life is a gift, every day.
21 April 2008, 2:31 pm
OMG, do! (I can go home now, I’ve put a twinkle in someone’s eye.)
I love blogging.
21 April 2008, 2:56 pm
I shall! And you did
Yes, this is what it is all about, isn’t it?
22 April 2008, 11:07 pm
Well, when my Dad (70 this year) gets bored, he starts a new business. That was the only training I got for itty biz boredom so that’s what I do, too. Luckily with blogging, the overhead and start-up costs are low, so I can afford to get bored a lot.
22 April 2008, 11:23 pm
Naomi,
That’s great! When my Dad got bored, he took 20 years to decide what to do about it (he’s a Libra, all must be in order first…), then did a 180° from computer programming, and became a motel owner. Woosh.
I can hardly wait to hear about IttyBiz-goes-big-time in your new place. No time to be bored right now, eh?
Congrats again on the move.
Regards,
Kelly
23 April 2008, 8:01 pm
Boredom exists? I do get caught in a rut sometimes and it helps to just get out and do something new – explore unchartered territory…like Brett mentioned in his first comment.
When I was at Nordstrom the managers kept things alive by having little rallies in the morning and doing silly games. Fun times.
23 April 2008, 8:15 pm
Hi, Maria!
You’ve been talking about venturing out more (2.0-style) at Customers Are Always lately, too. Pretty easy to “get lost” on the Internet, and it can be really helpful.
Some major authors (who never visit here) do seem to be caught in that rut that I’ve been hearing about from clients. In spite of the variety, the blogosphere can still be boring!
I’m not giving away any secrets telling you that by day Brett is a Very Serious Engineer, so if they go all “Nordstrom” on us with a little fun and games this Friday, it will be a major jump toward alleviating boredom in a small part of Canada.
Thanks for your comment!
Regards,
Kelly