This week I was reminded of how quick time passes and how short life is, when I learned that a good friend of mine, Mark, had died in his sleep at the age of 50. This was and still is a shock to me but also a reminder that when we have an opportunity in front of us, we should act upon it not only in our personal lives but also in our business lives.
All too often I have seen organizations stall in their efforts to move a project forward due to a lack of focus, analysis paralysis, lack of compromise and so many reasons they are too numerous to list here. Likewise, I have seen many organizations miss opportunities to enhance their efforts, passing over areas where they could have an immediate impact, citing it was not in the scope. Imagine that you have uncovered redundant steps in a process or duplicate information of no value in your organization, would it not make sense to correct this now rather than wait and place it on the back burner for another day? When you can act and have a positive impact in an area, your success will generate an atmosphere of success and positive attitude for your project and efforts. Success breeds success and an early win generates excitiement and support.
In my view, if you see an opportunity to take action and make a positive impact, take it. Time is too short for long debates and constant analysis. This does not mean you should not listen to anyone or avoid analysis all together. It simply means that if you delay today, tomorrow may never come and you will have missed the window of opportunity. The time to act is when the opportunity presents itself.
My friend was a person who recognized and accepted the opportunities that came his way in both his personal and business lives. We had discussions on how many folks and organizations miss their chance to become better at who they are, what they do and how they do it. I will miss him but will always remember his insightful wisdom and philosphy that "if you see an opportunity to be better, take it." I think this is good advice and that we should make a practice of it. Rest in Peace my friend.
If as an organization, you are ready to move forward and are finding yourself stuck or unfocused and are not sure where to begin or what to do next, seek professional assistance and/or training to get you started.
What say you? Do you have a story to tell? What are your thoughts on this topic? Do you have a topic of interest you would like discussed in this forum? Let me know.
Bob Larrivee, Director and Industry Advisor – AIIM
Email me: blarrivee@aiim.org
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www.aiim.org/training
Look for my session at NIRMA 2011 in Las Vegas this August and on Mobile Devices in the upcoming AIIM sbcon11 event this September.
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