Dan In Focus » Focus http://www.dwstratton.com Where life, art and passion come into Focus Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:00:00 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Thank you, Lunch Lady! http://www.dwstratton.com/2012/02/thank-you-lunch-lady/ http://www.dwstratton.com/2012/02/thank-you-lunch-lady/#comments Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:00:00 +0000 Dan http://www.dwstratton.com/?p=1905 [...]]]> My son and I were discussing something he noticed the other day. He said he had been getting to the lunch line first lately and had been able to talk with the Lunch Lady while she finished setting up the line. Since he has been doing that, he has discovered she has been slipping him extra cookies and other little “bonuses”. He was puzzled and actually challenged her on it. She just smiled and told him to not worry about it. He was concerned that he was getting something he wasn’t paying for and didn’t know what he should do.

I experienced the same phenomena back in high school. I made it a point of giving my Lunch Ladies feedback when something tasted especially good or bad. I always raved when something was especially delightful. It wasn’t long before extra cookies or peanut butter treat would appear on my tray. One day, as I was tossing my tray from the potato bar in the trash, one of the Ladies saw me. She was horrified that I had chosen the potato bar over her special Chinese lunch. She had me come back into the kitchen and have another lunch, complete with almond cookie, so that I could give her my critique.

A little kindness can go a long way in this world. I have never found it wrong to smile and thank those who give me good service. The more I treat these people with respect, the greater respect I receive from them. I have found this especially true in those often unthanked positions, such as police, librarians and, of course, the Lunch Lady.

Of course, false gratitude in the attempt to gain special favor doesn’t go far. I had a friend who was jealous of my extra cookie. After explaining how I ended up with it, he went up to her, mumbled something that sounded like a compliment and then asked if he could have another cookie. It didn’t work. Faking it doesn’t cut it, folks.

Take a moment and share a smile and a heartfelt “thank you” with someone under-appreciated today. We love our Lunch Ladies!

]]> http://www.dwstratton.com/2012/02/thank-you-lunch-lady/feed/ 1 Personal Process http://www.dwstratton.com/2012/02/personal-process/ http://www.dwstratton.com/2012/02/personal-process/#comments Thu, 02 Feb 2012 13:00:00 +0000 Dan http://www.dwstratton.com/?p=457 [...]]]>

This is my Weekly Review checklist to help me focus on content, not form.

My morning routine begins the night before. I lay my robe across the end of the bed, turn my slippers around, facing away from the bed and place my iPhone in the doc with a low-light clock app running. The alarm is set for 5:00, ready to wake me to The Choir of Christ’s Church Cathedral’s rendition of Psalm 23. Upon waking, I turn off the alarm, step into my slippers and robe, quietly stumble downstairs, put the water on for my honey bush herbal tea, set the countdown timer on my iPhone and begin reading scriptures. When the timer goes off, I get the tea and begin reading my current religious book for another ten to fifteen minutes. After those tasks are done, I am then free to start my day with other things, like read the news, write a blog post or something else.

If it sounds like I am a creature of habit, it is because I am. I have learned the best way for me to accomplish something is to turn it into a routine. Once the routine is engrained, the habit is easier to maintain and improve. By profession, I am a process analyst. My job is to watch how tasks are done and find ways to improve them, saving everyone time and money, while improving quality. On the mornings I ride the bus to work, I observe many people who have their personal routines. Some read, some play games, others sleep while others watch a TV show on their iPod. I notice they rarely vary from their routine.

Why do we gravitate to personal routines, or processes? I don’t pretend to know all the reasons, but I believe some of the answers include:

  1. Greater certainty in a repeatable outcome.
  2. Comfort in habit.
  3. Ability to focus on the content instead of the form.

One of the first principles taught in process management is there is quality in process. As we repeat a task in an exact pattern, the results become more predictable. I observed this in action last week in my friend’s company. They are very careful to do everything exactly the same way. Intel lays out every new fabrication plant identically – upon entering the building, it is impossible to tell whether you are in Beaverton or Taiwan. It doesn’t mean there isn’t room for improvement. In fact, the argument is a process cannot be improved until it is first standardized. Otherwise, it is impossible to tell if the change actually has a positive or negative difference in results. Personal processes can be created so as to provide predictable results. Because my morning routine is laid out so carefully, I find it easier to get out of bed and get started. I am well into the routine before I wake up enough to think about doing otherwise.

Humans are creatures of habit. We will follow our habits, even if the habit is destructive. Once the habit is engrained, changing is extremely uncomfortable and difficult. Ask anyone who has tried to quit smoking or overeating. I often find myself staring into the depths of the refrigerator minutes after pushing back form the dinner table, not because I’m hungry, but because it is a habit. Just walking through the motions of a habit can reduce stress and anxiety.

By forming a habit, we provide our brains the opportunity to focus on other aspects of the task, For example, when I first started playing French horn again, I tried playing some of the songs I used to play. It was horrible. I had forgotten many of the basics, such as how to breath, what finger combinations produced which notes and other basics. I couldn’t even begin to concentrate on making the music sound good. I have had to start over with the basics so I can eventually concentrate on the music. It will happen just as soon as the habits take over the mechanics.

Want to build a new personal process? Start by making a checklist of the process. Leading through each step, a routine will be built and the process will become a habit. A good example is doing a weekly review. I have struggled with them over the years. Since creating the checklist (pictured above), it has become easier and I am slowly building that habit. Having the process detailed in advance helps make sure undesired steps don’t creep in. That is how I came to put the robe at the bottom of the bed. When I had to go find it in the closet, I found something else would distract me and I would lose focus and not get started. Having the robe in place sends me down the stairs and immediately to the rest of the process. Using the countdown timer helps me, too. It makes sure I don’t spend too little or too much time on a task. I look for little tricks to help keep me in the process and not wandering off into undesired practices.

Take a look at the goals you created for the new year. Are any struggling to gain traction? Build a process around them designed to lead you through the motions. Write it out and follow it. Soon the goal will be well on its way to accomplishment. Share some of your personal processes. How to you use habits to your advantage?

]]> http://www.dwstratton.com/2012/02/personal-process/feed/ 1 Never Miss an Opportunity http://www.dwstratton.com/2012/01/never-miss-an-opportunity/ http://www.dwstratton.com/2012/01/never-miss-an-opportunity/#comments Tue, 31 Jan 2012 14:00:00 +0000 Dan http://www.dwstratton.com/?p=1891 [...]]]> Please never miss an opportunity to do the right thing. I ran across this story today. Bill Gates wrote a letter to Steve Jobs before he died. It touched Steve so much, he kept it next to his bed to the end, according to his wife. I am glad Bill didn’t disclose what he wrote in the letter. It wasn’t for us.

I told Steve about how he should feel great about what he had done and the company he had built. I wrote about his kids, whom I had got to know.

Do you have a friend feeling down, sick or just in need of a virtual hug? Write them a quick note. It doesn’t have to be much. Four short lines are more than enough to let them know you care. Who knows how much it will mean to them?

C’mon. Do it right now. I am.

]]> http://www.dwstratton.com/2012/01/never-miss-an-opportunity/feed/ 0 Turning Dust Into Diamonds http://www.dwstratton.com/2012/01/turning-dust-into-diamonds/ http://www.dwstratton.com/2012/01/turning-dust-into-diamonds/#comments Mon, 30 Jan 2012 20:11:38 +0000 Dan http://www.dwstratton.com/?p=1882 [...]]]>

Not only do they make diamond drill bits, but they make colorful gem diamonds as well.

Recently, I had a most unexpected networking experience. I was invited to visit an amazing company that does some truly incredible work. Chances are they will never make it to the cover of a major magazine or be the subject of a best selling business book, but they deserve to be. While they don’t make the flashiest of products (diamond bits for deep bore drilling rigs), how they do it and what they have become because if it is the real story.

From the moment I walked in the front door, I could tell this was not the typical manufacturing company I expected. Everyone from the receptionist forward was polite, happy and eager. I met my friend, the president of the company and he started me on a tour that would leave me astounded. He first introduced me to the IT team and left me in their capable hands for a few minutes. As they showed me around their area, the pride and excitement for their jobs was evident. They understood their job wasn’t to make cool technology, but to move the company forward. While cool technology abounded, they all knew exactly how it was going to help everyone else. Everything had a purpose and nothing was overkill, which I have seen in too many IT shops over the years.

They showed me some of the cool things they were doing to bring the company closer together as it grows. In the cafeteria, they have displays mounted showing the latest performance, safety and financial results. The cafeteria, by the way, was also completely unexpected to me. This is definitely a manufacturing company, but the cafeteria would have looked at home in Google or other hot company known for their pampering of employees. I was starting to get the idea I had stumbled into something special by this point.

The IT Director and I swapped stories as he showed me his pride and joy – a state of the art data center. He was proud of every switch, cooling system and server. He told me how they had embraced virtual servers recently that had reduced the need for new servers to the point of saving an entire second row. Huge savings for the company. He then proudly told me meant to showcase their network capability, but actually started to explain why this company is special.

Recently, the whole company had been working hard to win the Shingo Prize for Operational Excellence. When the award was announced, my friend wanted to do something nice for everyone. The answer? iPads for everyone. Keep in mind, “everyone” was around 800 people. The IT Director’s first thought was “Awesome!” The second was “I wonder if the network can handle it?” Yes, the network could handle the influx of new attached devices. The part that interested me was the focus of shared reward.

I have read many management books and have strived for years to be a different kind of leader. I gnash my teeth at the leaders presented in popular culture, like The Office and The Devil Wears Prada. I strive to be the kind of manager whose people are all more productive because of the work I do in the background. What I found at this company was exactly what I have been trying to espouse for the last decade and a half.

It was time to talk with my friend. He wanted to show me the floor. As we walked around, everyone knew him by his first name. He knew theirs, too. He proudly showed me how they take diamond dust, a fine talc-like powder and exert the same pressure the earth uses to create diamonds. The result is a diamond drill bit. He explained how they switched from a linear factory flor to LEAN processes, grouping several tools into cells. By making small teams that do several steps of the process together, they find defects fast – hours instead of days, saving thousands of bits being wasted should a defect crept in.

Quality is everyone’s job. Each team meets at the beginning and end of each shift to discuss how this could be improved. Everything is driven by these suggestions and rapidly implemented. I forget the number of improvements they have made at the request of the people doing the job, but it seems like it was over 10,000 suggestions. What is the result? These people make over 10,000 drill bits per day of the highest quality. That translates into a solid company that is very successful and profitable. And, you guessed it, the employees share in that profit.

I have read about companies like Toyota and Motorola who have pioneered this style of manufacturing, but I had never actually seen one before. I was simply amazed. Their systems were nothing short of amazing. The work they have put into making their product the best in class is obvious. I can see why they are so successful. I have read book after book on better process, management, leadership and alignment to create a better business. I just found a company that appears to live these principles. It actually exists! I am more motivated to take the ideals back and implement them in my own job now because I know it is possible. It has been done and I tip my hat to them. It was the most fun I have had in all my years of meeting people and companies. This is why I love networking – the chance of stumbling on a gem of a company or individual. In this case, I found a man-made diamond.

Bravo to them. Congratulations on the 2011 Shingo Prize. I hope someone writes their story one day.

]]> http://www.dwstratton.com/2012/01/turning-dust-into-diamonds/feed/ 0 Are You Ready? http://www.dwstratton.com/2012/01/are-you-ready/ http://www.dwstratton.com/2012/01/are-you-ready/#comments Wed, 25 Jan 2012 14:00:00 +0000 Dan http://www.dwstratton.com/?p=1844 [...]]]> I have very little time this morning. Remember last week, when I said we need to have a resume ready at all times? Not only that, we need to be ready for an interview at a moment’s notice. Yesterday afternoon, I received a request for an interview for today. The job I had heard about materialized and events are moving quickly. Since receiving the job description yesterday, I have been analyzing it, preparing answers to potential questions, thinking of questions I want to ask and developing a 90 day plan. That is a lot of work to do in 24 hours.

I will probably go into these topics deeper in future posts, but the point today is the importance of being ready. My resume is up to date. I just finished printing a fresh copy for every member of the interview team, plus a few extra in case more are needed. Fortunately, I have a box of resume paper ready. I built the 90 day transition plan, just in case the question comes up. I developed that between dinner and choir practice last night. I still have my white shirt and suit pants to iron, shoes to shine and questions to develop. Somewhere on my hard drive, I have a list of answers to common interview questions I wrote out years ago. I need to find and review those as well.

Is all this necessary for an internal interview with my current director and his team? Absolutely! The competition is stiff and the only way I believe I can get a chance at this position is to nail the interview. I’m counting on the preparation I have made weeks and months ago to pay off at this short notice.

Always be ready.

]]> http://www.dwstratton.com/2012/01/are-you-ready/feed/ 1 Blueprints To Success http://www.dwstratton.com/2012/01/blueprints-to-success/ http://www.dwstratton.com/2012/01/blueprints-to-success/#comments Mon, 23 Jan 2012 13:57:59 +0000 Dan http://www.dwstratton.com/?p=1833 [...]]]> The alarm went off at 5:20 this morning and for a minute or two, I lay in bethinking through my morning routine. I wanted to have a picture in my mind of what I was going to accomplish. I knew if I had that picture, it would more readily be achieved. So, I walked through my morning scripture study and then turned my thoughts to what I wanted to write here.

Last night, I had sat for nearly 20 minutes, trying to think of something to write. Nothing came. I wasn’t interested in anything. I gave up and read a book instead. That was a good decision. For me, writing is something I can’t force. However, this morning, laying there, I thought of this post and laid it all out in my mind in about 15 seconds. Then, I got up and got started.

Why was it so much easier this morning? Aside from being more rested and ready, I spent time away from the keyboard, designing what I wanted to write. Houses are blueprints long before the first nail is hammered into wood. Jumbo jets are blueprints long before the first piece of aluminum is bent. Software programs are sketched out before the first line of code is written.

For a successful creation experience, spend some time planning. Those few minutes of planning can save hours of struggle. Subsequent decisions are rendered easier, once the final product is determined. Each step on the course becomes more evident.

I glanced through my email prior to beginning writing. Once again, Michael Hyatt beat me to the punch. His post this morning, Why Vision Is More Important Than Strategy, was exactly what I wanted to say.

If you have a clear vision, you will eventually attract the right strategy. If you don’t have a clear vision, no strategy will save you.

Read the rest of his post. It is very good. I would like to quote the entire article.

Spend time, as he suggests, writing up your vision. I plan on doing this step very soon. I believe this is what is missing in my life. I have dabbled at parts of the vision, writing my goals and such, but haven’t spent time writing the entire scope of m life vision. Instead, I let the strategy fears take over whenever I start. I haven’t a clue how I am going to accomplish all that I dream for myself. I have big dreams. Too big, at times. Why not dream big and let the strategy take care of itself?

]]> http://www.dwstratton.com/2012/01/blueprints-to-success/feed/ 2 Shaping Steel http://www.dwstratton.com/2012/01/steel-quote/ http://www.dwstratton.com/2012/01/steel-quote/#comments Fri, 20 Jan 2012 14:00:00 +0000 Dan http://www.dwstratton.com/?p=1823 [...]]]>

Steel can be any shape you want if you are skilled enough, and any shape but the one you want if you are not.
- Robert M. Pirsig

I saw this quote yesterday and was struck by the relevancy. Are you skilled at shaping yourself? Do you know how to discipline yourself into new, productive habits? Or are you stuck in good intentions, not becoming anything like the hopes you have for yourself?

Once we discipline ourselves into making small changes to ourselves, we can learn to make bigger changes. As children, we began with the small things, like combing our hair, doing homework right after school or cleaning our rooms. After mastering these items, we move up to more difficult challenges and learn to shape ourselves into what we want to be.

The person who doesn’t understand the basics of changing habits and has little willpower finds it extremely difficult to mold themselves into the desired character. They have to learn to master the small stuff, even it is means returning to the child-like tasks. It takes practice to obtain a skill. Repetition is what provides the ability to truly mold ourselves into what we want to become.

Struggling with a goal or a resolution? Take the time to think it through. What is it you really want to become? Don’t just define the milestone (I want to weight 180 pounds by July 4). Also add the traits necessary to adopt in your life (I eat healthy foods in appropriate portions and exercise regularly). After all, the end goal isn’t achievable in a day, but the trait is. Today, I ate the correct foods and I spent 30 minutes at lunch on the Stairmaster. Today, I have mastered those traits that lead to the ultimate goal. Tomorrow I have to start over again on mastering the skill, but I will have the residual strength gained today.

Today, my steel is closer to the shape I desire. The closer I get to that desired shape, the more resilient it is to mistakes or accidents. I found it much easier today to turn down the fresh, hot scones with chocolate sauce at work than a year ago. Last year I would have had at least three. Perhaps four. It’s no wonder I was in the shape I was last year at this time.

]]> http://www.dwstratton.com/2012/01/steel-quote/feed/ 0 The Difference a Little Extra Effort Makes – link http://www.dwstratton.com/2012/01/the-difference-a-little-extra-effort-makes-link/ http://www.dwstratton.com/2012/01/the-difference-a-little-extra-effort-makes-link/#comments Thu, 19 Jan 2012 14:15:00 +0000 Dan http://www.dwstratton.com/?p=1814 [...]]]> I saw this post this morning from Michael Hyatt in which he talks about the tiny difference between hot water and boiling water – one degree. The premise is that that one little degree between 211° and 212° is small, so spend the little bit extra effort and be the winner.

This brought out the physicist in me. It takes one calorie of heat to raise one gram of water one degree. However, to take one gram of water from 212° to 212° steam, it requires 540 calories of additional heat to change the state from a liquid to a gas. The temperature is the same, but the power involved is staggering. It takes more than a little bit of effort to make the change from water to steam. Boiling water, or steam, has so much more power. Steam can power a locomotive where hot water can’t. Steam has 60% of the lifting power of helium and twice of hot air, but isn’t flammable. Hot water has no lifting power. Does this ruin the analogy that it takes only a little more effort to make the difference?

The average margin of victory for the Daytona 500 and Indianapolis 500 is 1.5 seconds. Is the difference only a little extra effort? It appears to be on the surface, but the underlying preparation is the “540 calories” required to change the state from second to first place. How much does the pit crews have to practice to shave off 1.5 seconds from a tire change? Ever watch the elaborate dance of an Indy pit crew? They are as practiced as a Bolshoi Ballet. When Southwest Airlines wanted to learn how to turn planes around faster, they went to the pit crew to learn.

It requires effort and dedication to go from second place to first. Much more preparation, unseen and unheralded is necessary. It may be an tiny bit of difference at the tape, but preparation went into the effort. Last year’s Indianapolis 500 winner, Dan Wheldon may have won by 2.5 seconds, but that is only .023% difference of the entire race that took nearly 3 hours to complete. He had to be .023% better than the next guy over the space of three hours to win. That took a lot of effort and practice by a lot of people.

Now bring it home. Does it take just a tiny little bit of effort to succeed in a goal? Perhaps on a given day, but I think the difference is much larger than that. I am back on a strict diet again, trying to lose the last twenty-five pounds. Believe me, it takes more than a little effort to refuse Twizzlers, cookies and soda everyone tempts me with. I have to expend that extra little bit of effort every minute of every day to reach this goal. I know what I want, but that isn’t enough. I have to expend a tremendous amount of energy to keep myself disciplined. I have to decide several times each day if it is worth it. That isn’t easy.

Hats off to the winners out there. They have made the extra effort. They have added the extra 540 calories to turn water into steam. This is why Hyatt’s recommendations for achieving that little extra on a goal work:

  1. Choose one goal. Select the one that matters the most to you this year.
  2. Identify what’s at stake.Why is accomplishing this goal so important—to you?
  3. Write down 2-3 key actions. These are the ones that could propel you into the winner’s circle.
  4. Now execute! Stop planning. Stop stalling. Just get out there and do it.

By doing steps 2 and 3, we add the determination necessary to help make #4 work. If there is a goal that just seems unattainable, try those two steps to help with the dedication. It will add the extra 540 calories needed to take your 212° goal into a 212° success.

]]> http://www.dwstratton.com/2012/01/the-difference-a-little-extra-effort-makes-link/feed/ 0 Pop Quiz: Resumes http://www.dwstratton.com/2012/01/pop-quiz-resume/ http://www.dwstratton.com/2012/01/pop-quiz-resume/#comments Mon, 16 Jan 2012 14:00:00 +0000 Dan http://www.dwstratton.com/?p=1759 [...]]]> Pop quiz: How long would it take you to present a current resume?

Any answer beyond an hour is too long. You never know when you might need a resume in a hurry.

But, you may protest, my job is safe. I won’t get fired, downsized or laid off. (Really? Are you sure? But that is a whole different topic)

My job is safe. It takes a lot for someone to get fired and they rarely do a downsizing and haven’t done a layoff that I have heard of. And yet, several times in the last year, I have needed a resume at a moment’s notice.

For example, last week, I heard a new position is being created and it is of great interest to me. Because my resume is current, I was able to spend fifteen minutes “tweaking” it to fit the job description, highlighting the skills necessary for the new position. I was able to them walk it directly into the hiring director’ office and let him know of my interest. Time will tell if I get the position or not, but I have to believe I made a favorable impression with the director. That little bit of preparation just may make the difference to give me the inside track.

So how does one keep a resume current at all times? Here are 5 easy steps. Do these monthly and a current resume will never be more than 60 short minutes away.

  1. Throughout the month, upon completing an assignment, finishing a project, or receiving positive feedback, jot it down on a PostIt note and place it in a file folder.
  2. Create a recurring, one hour meeting on the last day of each month to review the folder contents. Spend a few minutes reviewing the notes and adding any other accomplishments that were overlooked throughout the month.
  3. Identify the skills used in completing the achievement.
  4. Write a short SOAR story for each. A SOAR story, in two or three sentences, tells the Situation involved, the Actions taken, the Obstacles encountered, and the Results achieved. Use numbers to quantify where appropriate. Write different versions highlighting the skills identified. This is handy for quick adjustments to the resume when a job requires a particular set of skills.
  5. Add the SOAR stories to your resume and an accomplishment document for the annual review. It is always good to have the achievements handy when the boss asks what you have been doing all year. Chances are your list will be ten times longer than his/hers.

It may take a few sessions to catch up from the last resume refresh, but it is worth it. Several short sessions may be more productive than one long one, especially if the long one is put off until another day that never comes.

There are more uses of a current resume than job applications. Several times though out my career, I have been reassigned to different teams. My previous vice president was famous for reorganizing the department on Thursday, effective on Monday. Having my resume up to date gave me a great advantage when meeting my new manager. I handed him the resume and immediately could start talking about my strengths and status of my team. It never failed to impress them and allow them to leverage my favorite skills more quickly.

A resume is handy for networking, too. Last week I had lunch with a manager I used to work with before he moved on to another company. While working with him, I was a project manager. He had no idea of my many years of team management and was surprised when I pulled out my resume to show him. It completely changed his perception of me and my skills. He suddenly had a completely different set of people he wanted to introduce to me, all of which who are more in line with my desired career path. Very handy.

]]> http://www.dwstratton.com/2012/01/pop-quiz-resume/feed/ 1 Five Steps to Gaining a New Skill http://www.dwstratton.com/2012/01/five-steps-to-gaining-a-new-skill/ http://www.dwstratton.com/2012/01/five-steps-to-gaining-a-new-skill/#comments Fri, 13 Jan 2012 13:54:36 +0000 Dan http://www.dwstratton.com/?p=1775 [...]]]> My oldest son moved out to his own apartment recently. This week he called up with question. “Dad, do you have any scrap plywood?” I always have scrap plywood. I just finished making a set of shelves over Christmas. I have plywood everywhere. “How about other wood?” Yes, I have an abundance of scrap all over the shop. “Think I could make a little table out of it?”

For years I have wanted to pass on the woodworking tradition to my kids, but they haven’t shown much interest. My son’s request was music to my ears. He drew up a plan for his table, using the skills he gained in a high school mechanical drawing class and came by Monday night (right about dinner-time. He’s not stupid.) to show me. I suggested a few refinements. Tuesday night, he came back and (again, before dinner) we cut up all the pieces. He stayed late (I went to bed – he was wide awake as he works night shift) and put it all together. Wednesday night (again, before dinner – told you he isn’t stupid) he added the finishing touches and took it home to put on some finish.

As he was loading up Wednesday night, he made the comment that he wanted to get started on another project. He knows he is always welcome in my shop. His comment got me thinking, though. For years, I have been trying to get my kids to get off the couch, shut off the computer games and do something “productive”. Within a week after moving out on his own, here he comes, looking for help on a project. What changed?

After thinking about it, I believe there are five steps to overcoming inertia and getting started on a new project.

  1. Identify a Need. In my son’s case, it wasn’t until he moved out and discovered he didn’t have a place to put a TV other than on the floor that he was interested in owning a table. When he saw the cost of buying a table, the need became apparent. He had his parameters: Get the TV off the floor where he could see it without spending any money.
  2. Draw on your strengths. My son knew he didn’t have all the skills he needed, but he took it as far as he could on his own. He came over to the house with a plan in mind. He quickly drew up a plan on his own, not only of the finished product, but each piece required, complete with measurements. His class had taught him how to do it. He actually apologized for not drawing straight lines because he didn’t have access to a good ruler. He took it as far as he could with the skills and experience he had. Then he asked for help.
  3. Stack the odds in your favor. This step is key, I believe. The best way to reduce the risk of failure is to find help. Find someone who has “been there, done that” to guide you through the uncertain steps. In this case, my son called me because he knew I had been making furniture for years. He took it as far as he could and then enlisted my help to get it the rest of the way. I offered a couple design changes from my years of experience and reading. Listening to my advice improved the stability of the table and increased his odds of getting the table he desired.
  4. Adapt to adversity. Things don’t always go as planned, even if you have a mentor. After I went to bed, he was finishing up the assembly and had to trim two pieces to the correct length. He accidentally cut one too short. He didn’t stop, though. He improvised. He adapted his plan to accommodate the situation and actually ended up with a better design (in my opinion).   Don’t let little set backs be discouraging. Adapt, improvise and overcome.
  5. Do it YOUR way. When it came to the final sanding and preparation for final finishing, I made some suggestions, such as sanding out all the burn marks left by the table saw. My son, however, decided he liked the look they gave – more rustic and ‘antique-ish’. He was even trying to think of a way to add more marks to the table top. Definitely not my style, but I stepped aside to his wishes. It is his project and he gets to do it his way. I tried to remain the “guide on the side” instead of the sage on the stage”. Don’t let others, even the experts, take over the project. Do it YOUR way. Take responsibility for the outcome and be proud.

What’s the next step? Build on Success! I hope my son continues on, finding the next project he wants to conquer and improving on the skills he gained. I know I have plenty of scrap in the shop if a future project should involve wood. Now if you will excuse me, I have to go search for the buttons that popped off my shirt. I’m proud of you, son!

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