Who’s the Problem? It’s Probably You.

I normally write my blog posts from home on Wednesdays.  But, at 10:10 am on Thursday morning after a quick meeting with my team, I realized a harsh truth.

They had a few questions regarding one of our business clients’ accounting records for last month, and they had been spinning their wheels on it since yesterday. Lo and behold, I had taken notes during my last meeting with the client, but I hadn't communicated it to them.

Crap.

How much time had they wasted due to my poor communication? I feel like dirt right now. Their time is valuable, and while I don’t track time and use it to price anything, I don’t want them wasting their time. They look at it as “I’m spending so much time on this account right now, and it’s probably costing Jonathan money.” I look at it like “I want their work time to be productive and rewarding, but experiencing uncertainty due to my lack of communication isn't helping further that.” They may not blame me for it to my face, but some of this is my fault.

I read the other day that when something happens over and over again, and it’s causing you problems at work, it more than likely isn't a people problem. It’s a process problem. Man, was that ever made clear to me today.