Expect the Unexpected

My bank recently merged with another (surprise!) and the two companies needed to consolidate computer systems over a weekend. I received a notice a couple weeks ahead of the conversion letting me know what would happen, and that on Monday morning I would be able to log in to the consolidated system and do everything I could do before.

Having been in IT for 31+ years and having done numerous big conversions like that, I knew the weekend was huge for the systems people. I also had confidence that if the bank said I would be able to perform transactions on Monday then it would be so.

The most polite way I can tell you what happened from this customer's perspective is the conversion failed. I could not log in using my ID and the password I was told I could use. When I called the help line, the number was not connected. When I finally got to speak to a person on Monday afternoon, she was very courteous and let me know that she did not see my account anywhere in the new improved system. I could either start over and re-create my account (meaning they punted on the conversion) or wait for someone else to look for my account and call me back. You could call this justice for the issues I have been responsible for in past conversions, but I have never been involved in anything that went so far astray.

Fortunately, I have checks and stamps and can pay my bills and mail them the old-fashioned way.

I can only imagine the de-briefing going on right now in the bank's IT department.

Expect the unexpected, and always have a backup plan.

On Being Dependable

It is nice to be depended upon, and with that comes the responsibility of being dependable. One of my favorite things about my friends and close business associates is that I feel I can depend on them to do what they say they will do.

Have you ever been disappointed by someone who says they will give you an estimate, or do some work for you, and they don't get it done? I've had the experience recently a couple of times and it makes me wonder how these businesses survive. When credibility evaporates, so do customers. At the end of the day, word-of-mouth references are the main ones for most small businesses. When integrity falls below the value of the work being performed, then I personally can't endorse the work of that person.

Do you feel the same way?

This blog has moved

This blog is now located at http://fullsailcoaching.blogspot.com/.
You will be automatically redirected in 30 seconds, or you may click here.

For feed subscribers, please update your feed subscriptions to
http://fullsailcoaching.blogspot.com/atom.xml.

Timeboxing my writing

In the March issue of the Voyage of Your Life eZine, one of the articles is about timeboxing. This technique comes in very handy when there is a big job that needs to be done and it can't be done in one sitting. Here's an example: I am writing a book and want to make progress every day, but clearly this will take some time to complete.

My way of making real progress and staying fresh with ideas and prose is to set aside 30 minutes to dedicate to writing. In early attempts I may do just the outline in that 30 minutes. Regardless of whether I finish or not, I stop at the time limit. Another time I may rough out a chapter or a character. On another day the time goes to embellish a chapter that is already there. You get the picture.

It works for me. Try it for yourself. And let me know how it goes for you.