Cycles come in many forms: life cycles; product life cycles; bicycles; tricycles; financial cycles; open/shut cycles; and more. The open/shut cycling is something I learned when the overhead door stopped opening. The door repair team explained that springs are rated for various numbers of “cycles” versus years of use. Ours shouldn’t have broken so soon (5 years of not heavy use).
A spring was ordered for installation. To the repair team’s surprise, the spring had come unwound and was re-wound without having to install a replacement. Apparently, this rarely happens. I was grateful for the cost-savings of not having to buy/install a new system.
The metaphorical and teachable-moment questions from this experience:
- What cycles in our lives have a limited number – before “breaking” occurs?
- When have I assumed how to fix something and found that my solution wasn’t correct?
- When have I taken time to build a vendor relationship in such a way that my problem was solved in a friendly manner and at the lowest possible cost?
- When was the last time our team jumped to a solution before exploring the problem details?
- What could the team have done differently to save time and expense?
- How many cycles of work or use do the systems (people and mechanical) in our office have in them?
- What is the best investment for us to get the greatest number of uses out of the mechanical systems we purchase?
You likely have some questions of your own for your teams and cycles too.
What team conversations can you hold this week to improve your understanding of workplace cycles? Consider discussions on:
- Workflow while working virtually.
- Workflow as we return to offices.
- Team configurations that will be most successful.
- Continued virtual work options that support our success.
Keep the cycles productive, well-maintained, and re-set as needed. Here’s to happy and productive cycling!
Workplace: Managing the moments of our day-to-day business lives takes work. Together, let’s explore what issues and activities affect us every day (or some days) that we go to work. – Jana