TIL my dad's 'one question' changed how I handle problems at work

About 3 years ago I was complaining to my dad about a project that kept getting delayed at my construction job in Denver. He just asked me 'what's the one thing you haven't looked at yet?' and at first I thought it was a dumb question. But then I realized I had been so focused on the schedule and materials that I ignored the weather reports that showed a storm coming. That conversation took maybe 2 minutes but now I ask myself that same question before every big decision. It's stopped me from wasting time on the wrong stuff more times than I can count. Has anyone else had a simple question from someone that totally changed how you work?

3 comments

3 Comments

milam4812d ago

Had a buddy from my old crew who was constantly fighting with his boss about timelines. Boss finally asked him one day "what are you actually measuring?" Guy was tracking how many hours guys were on site but not how much work they got done. Once he switched to tracking completed tasks instead of time spent everything clicked into place. He figured out his best guys were finishing in 6 hours what took others 10. Started scheduling the fast guys for the hard jobs and everything moved smoother. Sometimes you just need someone to point out you're looking at the wrong thing entirely.

rose_reed12d ago

Classic. So instead of looking at results he was basically just watching the clock and getting mad. Real productive.

stone.lisa11d ago

@milam48 wait, his best guys were literally getting done in 6 hours what took 10?! How did nobody notice that sooner!