Each day all of our decisions help create the world we live in. What kind of world are we creating?
Every day I try to find ways to make other’s lives easier. For example, I am working on an initiative to make the onboarding process easier for new employees and updating documentation. This is something that is an easy win, and it will help everyone who comes after me. It is a good feeling when you know and see the positive effects your work has done.
Many times we might say to ourselves, but I am too busy doing what is required to improve the process for others. That isn’t true. There is an old saying from the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. It is called Sharpen the Saw. Do you want to cut wood with a dull ax or a sharp one? Yet every day we choose to work doing something with a dull ax and not a more efficient way to do the process.
As a new employee, I asked if I could help with a process, and when I was given permission to help I started to improve the process. Many times we think we don’t have the ability to change something, but it is mostly because no one cared to improve the process not that it couldn’t be done.
Another example is that IT tries to always make things most efficient by automation and standardization. If a company fights against this, then you are at the wrong company. The best companies encourage this and try to find ways to support you to make this happen. The future is doing away with tasks that no longer need to be done manually. I love using MDM software to roll out everything. It is such a welcome tool to have and saves from so much of the mundane work that used to be done in IT.
In a larger sense, however, besides being efficient we want to create an environment where people feel valued and respected. I thank my coworkers when they teach me something and share what I learn with others. Life is difficult and if you can make other’s lives easier, isn’t that a rewarding way to live?