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More Sayings of Chairman Walter
By Walter Hanig, President

Author Bio

Administrative Council

This month's article is a continuation of last month's. These are tips I wish someone had shared with me when I first went to work after college.

• All good automated processes are based on good manual processes. If you can't describe how a process is going to work in words or in a flow chart, chances are you can't automate it. And if you do have a good manual process, do you have a good reason for automating it? Good reasons include easier distribution, the ability to handle bigger projects or more people, and learning a new tool. Just be sure the benefit justifies the effort.
  
  
• Find a crisis and get in the middle of it (Randy Frank). If you can handle the stress, try to work on the high-visibility projects or for the most important internal or external customers. You'll get more exposure if the project is successful and be more indispensable if layoffs loom.
  
  
• What you don't work on is just as important as what you do work on. If a project you work on turns out to be a turkey, you'll be somewhat associated with it, regardless of how well you contributed. You'll have to work extra hard to get credit for your effort and results. Of course, if it's a success, everyone gets credit, deserved or not.
  
  
• Problems that can be solved with money are the easy ones. This is a more personal than professional observation, but I've found that keeping it in mind adds some perspective. Problems that include the words "incurable" or "indictment" are obviously more serious, whether you have the money or not!
  
  
• Making others' jobs easier makes your job easier. On a purely Machiavellian level, people owe you when you help them. On a practical level, when their jobs are easier, they have more time to help you with your job!
  
  
• Whenever possible, present solutions when you present problems. Most managers would rather spend their time evaluating alternate solutions than creating them, if only because evaluation is faster than creation. More importantly, you—the problem presenter—know more about the problem and the constraints than your manager. You'd rather implement a solution you identified than one the boss suggests, especially if it takes longer and yields worse results.
  
  
• Go through the open doors (Jennifer Mallory). No progress is made complaining about options that are not available. Progress comes from making the most of the opportunities that present themselves or that you create.

I have still more sayings that I'll expound in a future article. In the meantime, what lessons do you wish you'd learned earlier?