Vita's Tip In 10: Why you should inspect what you expect

Hello, hello friend, and welcome to a brand-new episode of Vita’s Tip in 10!

I am really excited about this episode today because you know that I never pass up an opportunity to share with you guys something I have personally experienced or learned.

I experienced something interesting recently, and you might be going through the same thing. And if you are, you might be curious as to how to navigate it. Instead of learning through your own mistakes, learn through mine, avoid those issues, and fast-track your progress. That’s what this podcast is all about.

A few weeks ago, we had a new team member start at Vitalia Inc - something to be celebrated, because we have been looking for just the right person for quite a long time. Anyway, one of the first things I wanted her to learn is how we open and process shipments.

Let me start by saying that we are on a first-name basis with our FedEx and UPS guys because we see them every single day. We’re constantly receiving all kinds of fabric, hardware, and supplies. I wanted to train our new hire to open new fabrics and place them in our project management system. Once I began training, I quickly realized that the state of current processing system, to my dismay, was much sadder than I anticipated.

Admittedly, a lot of it has to do with the fact that we have been incredibly blessed with a fair amount of business, and all of my team members are working very hard on their top priorities, you know those that bring in the money. So much so that opening and processing bolts of fabrics have taken the backseat. I had discovered that the process I had instituted for opening these fabrics was simply not being followed. Or at least wasn’t being fully processed the way it was intended.

Now granted, I have major OCD tendencies, and I can be pretty anal in how I like to do things - something for me to address another time. That said, I discovered that a process that I believed to be most efficient and accurate, and in the long run most beneficial to the business, was not being followed.

I also discovered that some of the essential supplies we should have had in our shipping and receiving room were not there. Things like rubber bands and labels, staplers, tape dispensers, and organizers to keep all of that wrangled and managed were missing too.

We all know, especially my workrooms listeners, that when you don’t have the appropriate or helpful supplies at your fingertips, you’re left searching for these items, causing that simple task to be performed in the least efficient manner.

So, going back to training the new hire. I unfortunately discovered that before I could train her on the right way of doing things, that it was necessary to bring the process up to speed where it should have been all along. My friend, that made me very sad, and I’ll tell you why. It made me sad to realize that I can be the most efficient worker, and I can also be the manager who has instituted the process, AND if I’m not checking in continuously, the process, no matter how efficient and wonderful it is, can go by the wayside.

This is not to say that the team members egregiously disregarded it and said that they didn’t care. What I realized is that this situation was a natural byproduct of us concentrating on our top priorities. Normally, these priorities are milestones that bring us money, including fulfilling orders, going on appointments, creating estimates, securing orders, placing orders, fabricating and installing. When we're so busy doing the main things that bring in the money, it is easier to take shortcuts on all the other processes that don’t seem as important to us then.

At the end of the day, the fabrics were opened, and most of them were checked in. Did some of the labels get lost off of the fabrics? Yes. Did some fabrics get misplaced when we put them in alphabetical order? Yes, they did. Did some of the fabrics get mislabeled? Yes. Were some of them overlooked? Yes, they were. Was any of it detrimental to your business? No, it wasn't. Did the clients know that any of these mistakes happened? No, they didn't. Did we lose any money because of this? No, we didn't.

While it may not be the top priority, in my mind as the leader of the business, this realization

was pretty eye-opening. It made me sad because I came to this point of clarity that the periodic checks needed to be happening more often than they had in the past. This ultimately led me to more questions like: How often did that need to happen? How deep into the process should I be going? How many processes should I be checking? How big of a deal should I be making?

I am very blessed and privileged to be part of a wonderful mastermind group called the Leadership Lab, where I shared all of these questions, and very quickly I got really terrific support and feedback. Part of that support was validation and acknowledgment from other entrepreneurs.

By the way, none of them are from the window treatment industry. All of them agreed and said that as unfortunate as it is, it is the reality of things. They also said that I shouldn’t be too hard on myself or upset and instead should be prepared for it. My coach even used a wonderful phrase that stuck with me. She said, “Inspect what you expect.” In other words, if I expect the fabrics to get checked in, and processed in a certain way, I need to be checking in more often.

It is unrealistic and irresponsible of me, the leader, to teach it once and then completely let it go, never to check back in on it again. So, if I expect it to be done a certain way, I need to prioritize inspecting my processes periodically. So, my friend moving forward, whether it’s the process of opening fabrics or another process that I deem important, I will review it and insert myself in the process more often, making sure that the standards are what I believe Vitalia Inc should be operating at.

I also thought this would be a good topic because I shared this information with my window treatment business besties, and they were going through a similar experience. They also loved the saying, “Inspect what you expect.”

While I don’t necessarily love the fact that I am having to check through my processes, this will not be a permanent situation. I will be working on ways to remove myself from the process and ideally will only have to check in a few times a year to ensure everything is running smoothly.

Until then, if I am to expect a strict following of the rigorous process that I established, that is my reality. If you have employees, team members, contractors, or whomever you have helping, you don't get upset or taken aback like I did. Certainly, don't get sad the way I did. Take it from my mistakes and know that just because you set up the best process in the world, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t expect a few corners to be cut along the way.

If you don't have anyone working for you, file this in the back of your head. Eventually, remember the saying, “Inspect what you expect.”

That’s it for today, my friend! And if you are looking for more tips just like this, if you’re looking to streamline your processes and step into your CEO shoes, if you’re looking for ways to enhance your productivity and workflows, if you’re looking for ways to start using a digital project management tool, if you are looking for ALL the systems to run your business like a well-oiled machine – you have two ways of working with me personally.

One is through LuAnn University, my Systems Driven Operations class. And the second is a two-day in-person intensive where I hand over all my systems for you to use and put to work immediately in your business. I want you to check out both tools because they are different and equally applicable depending on where you are in your business and how fast you want to achieve your goal. And in the meantime, I will be working on my next episode of Vita’s Tip in 10.

See you next Thursday!