Graft or Craft
/I decided to dig a small garden once. Nothing too big, just enough to plant a few vegetables.
I had two options—rent a power tiller or get out my shovel.
Since it was a Holiday, the rental store was closed so I opted for graft and reached for the shovel. Took me all day, of course, but the job was done and I'd earned a beer.
Sometimes, when we just need to get a job done, it's natural to apply graft. Work out what we don't know as we go along. Graft manifests itself in many ways—best efforts, sincere dedication, muscling through. But there's a downside—making avoidable mistakes, correcting mistakes, painful, costly learning.
It's easy to think we're saving budget and only spending sunk costs—until we recognize the opportunity cost. And the demoralizing affect graft can have.
The alternative is Craft. Calling in expertise and building tools that will get the work done right. Taking advantage of "been there done that" experience, smart adaptation, anticipation and mitigation. Improving by learning small lessons. In the end, the job gets done better and faster.
The next time I planted a garden, I planned ahead and rented the biggest tiller I could find. That day, I had time for two beers.
Is your business working smart?
List the things your organization does that are simply hard work. Now ask how you could make them easier:
- Are there activities that are just not valuable?
- Can you simplify the way the job gets done?
- How much can you automate?
Call me on (647) 400 2514 during my Friday office hours between 9am-noon EST and we can talk about ways you can discover unnecessary graft in your business.
... and if you missed these related articles, go back and take another look:
Revealing Value, one step at a time Production lines and the Bottleneck Effect Digging for Gold Why Platforms Matter When Better Beats Best Minimal Effort Means Avoiding Work