Randy’s Rules, Part 2

Randy’s Rules

This is the second in a four-part series entitled “Randy’s Rules.”

Follow through… many people get excited about taking on a job or project only to realize carrying the task to completion poses more of a challenge than they originally thought.  People start off with great intentions and often fail to reach their goal and see the job or project through. “Finish what you start,” is Randy’s second simple rule for employee success.

According to Randy, a great way to set oneself up for success is to, “organize the work once.”  Before starting any job there is an automatic amount of planning that usually goes into it.  An individual must decide what step to complete first, second, third, etc.  If you leave the job and then come back to it, you often have to think through the process again.  This is an inefficient way to work.  Imagine baking a cake.  You add flour, sugar, salt and milk and then you are distracted by a phone call.  When you get back to the cake you must ask yourself, “Did I add the eggs yet?”  So, you need to mentally go through the process you have completed to remember where you were.  If you finish what you start you don’t have that problem.

When an employee finishes what they start it benefits their co-workers.  In many jobs, for example a production line, an employee may not get to finish the job.  If a coworker must finish what was started by another employee, they will have to go through the same mental organizing process. The employee continuing the job will have to determine what has been completed and what still needs to be done.  This can create frustration and may lead to resentment between coworkers.  Scenarios such as this are frequently seen when a business has a day shift and night shift.  If a job can be finished to a point where it is clear about what is completed and what still needs to be done, that’s the next best thing to finishing what you start.

Finally, finishing what you start helps with job satisfaction. There is a scene from the movie City Slickers where after a long cattle drive the main character says, “There is nothing like bringing in the herd.” We get satisfaction from finishing what we start.  Leaving things uncompleted can work against your well-being.  We tend to worry about what we haven’t finished.  Finishing what you start frees up energy that would be wasted on worry. Randy says, “Finishing what you start is a measure of success and a reward for our effort.”  Finishing makes us feel competent and like we have achieved something.