Check The Ceiling For Spiders
Posted by Mitch Mitchell on Sep 11, 2008
A few days ago, my wife was in my office talking to me when all of a sudden she starts swatting at herself, jumps out of the chair, and starts stomping on the floor. I pretty much knew what had happened, but I had to ask anyway: "Was it a spider?"
Of course she said yes, and in a couple of minutes later we were laughing about it. For me, that's a major step because I hate, absolutely hate bugs, any bugs, with a passion. The day we bought our house, the first call we made was to an exterminator, and it's one of the most consistent calls we make, at least once a year.
The thing about spiders and bugs in general, though, is that you can never totally get rid of them. You do the extermination and feel pretty confident for a long time, to the point that you forget that you ever called them in the first place. Then suddenly, out of nowhere, you see something: a spider, an ant, a fly, or some other type of buy that you've never seen before. After all, you have to go in and out of your house, and unless you live in the clouds bugs will always be an issue; you just have to hope to keep them at a minimum, be vigilant, and be prepared for whatever comes your way.
It's the same type of thing that happens in the workplace. No matter how well you're running and how good everything seems to be, something is going to happen that's going to be negative. Maybe someone gets sick and is going to miss some significant time, and now you have to scramble to get that position covered in some fashion. Maybe your computer system crashes and it corrupts some of the most crucial files your firm has.
The worst thing you could ever do is just assume that everything will always be perfect at all times. You always need to be proactive in looking at the performance of yourself and your department, checking reports, having conversations, and keeping up on the latest news, technology, or processes that will help your department not only keep working properly, but helping it grow stronger.
In essence, leaders and managers need to remember to check the ceiling for spiders every once in awhile; you never know when one may fall on you and possibly ruin your day.