Overcome vs. Overlook

Empty toilet paper roll, empty printer paper tray, Empty Keurig® coffee brewer water reservoir. A candy wrapper on the floor, a full kitchen trash bag that needs replaced, a dirty spoon in the sink.

When you see something that needs addressed (large or small) do you address it or avoid it?

I believe that the way people respond to the little tasks in everyday life is a glimpse into how they will respond when faced with a larger task.

I’ve watched people walk right past (and step over) a small candy wrapper or a piece of tape or a paper clip on the floor instead of picking it up and tossing it in the trash can. The same trash can those same people would rather push down and compress so tightly you’d think they were trying to make a diamond from a piece of coal than to tie it up, toss it in the dumpster, and replace it with a new trash bag.

This kind of ignore-it-and-someone-else-will-fix-it philosophy is pure laziness and it infects every other thing you do.

Why verify the information on your work order is correct?
Someone else will fix it if it gets spotted, right?

Why make certain the part numbers are correct on your order form?
The customer will call to return them if they’re wrong.

If you can’t be counted on to add paper to the printer tray when it gets low, how can count on you to find and fix a problem with my project?

Our job everyday is to confront and overcome challenges of every size, shape, and difficulty for the companies and customers we serve.

Overcome challenges — not overlook them.