Sharpening Your Ax: Four Successful Steps of Preparing for Productivity

By Anthony McGee, JD/MHIRIR, MUP, MSA
     

Larry an executive lumberjack walked past one of his new employees. The recently hired lumberjack fiercely axed away at the largest tree; however, he barely bruised the bark. After watching the hard work and futile effort, Larry the executive lumberjack said, “Why don’t you sharpen your ax? It will make you much more effective.”

Clearly, when Abraham Lincoln said “give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe” he was magnifying the connection and correlation of preparation and productivity. With all great leaders, proper preparation is an essential element of their DNA or modus operandi. Moreover, prodigious leaders accomplish most of their task, missions and assignments with a more expeditious and effective manner. Similar to Larry’s employee, everyone needs to know how to sharpen their Ax.

Sharpening the Ax is preparation. Preparation is indispensable to a wise worker. It is the difference maker between being productive and exerting unnecessary energy on a task. Moreover, it is assistance in guiding the course of the team, organization or community.

The following are Four Successful Steps of Preparing for Productivity:

1. Philosophy:  Preparation helps you develop the right philosophy. Correct and proper thinking is essential for needs analysis. Philosophy may determine whether it is wise to use an ax or chainsaw. In addition, your philosophy defines your passion and directs your vision. Moreover, the decisions that are critical towards productivity may also delineate the cost effectiveness of today’s assignments compared to tomorrow’s growth. Thus, it’s wise to consider the fundamental doctrines that underlie the formation and operation of how each employee, team, division and community thinks. Undoubtedly, a reliable think tank or master mind group may be a viable investment to sharpening your Ax.
   
   
   
2. Attitude: Preparation helps you develop a productive attitude.
   
   Once your business philosophy is defined and established, you must launch a positive, creative and productive attitude. The proper attitude is an essential ingredient/fuel to preparation. And, it allows you to work at energy peaks. In addition to developing clear goals and objectives, attitude also contributes in SWOT analysis which is used for determining strengths, weaknesses, threats and opportunities. Thus, the accurate attitude attached with the audacity to seek opportunity is a defining factor for sharpening your Ax.  

3. Activity: Preparation affects every step of a sale, performance and activity. Everyone should be intensely action oriented because philosophy and attitude without activity is dead. Seneca said: “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” However, the external mechanism of preparation is arguably activity. And, activity determines value and value builds your reputation or brand. Thus, an opportunity to grow and expand your personal development, business savvy, customer satisfaction or community relationships never occurs without activity. Moreover, in the midst of activity, it is necessary to understand intrinsic and extrinsic Needs, Experiences, Solutions and Wants/desires of the requisite activity. As a result, a circuitous paradigm shift arises where new methods of effectiveness and efficiency emerge.

4. Results: Preparation navigates your results. Although there is never enough time to do every task, there is sufficient time to do the most important. Thus, results are the influence and defining dynamics of personal, team, organizational or community development. If the desired results are not manifested, wisdom may dictate the necessity to reexamine the philosophy, attitude or activity. If the desire results manifest, wisdom may acknowledge greater visions for growing internally and externally. Moreover, the need to upgrade from a sharp ax to a powerful chainsaw may provide greater rewards.

Preparation allows you to set the sail. Commander Jonathan Wellington often quoted Jim Rohn expressing “it is not the blowing of the wind but the setting of the sail.” Thus, before chartering any waters/business ventures it is important to have the proper map. Similar to having a sharp Ax, your map is your tool for preparing, understanding and possibly maximizing performance. Remember, the discipline of sharpening your Ax or good time management/preparation will spread to all other disciplines.