Lumberjack? Yeah... Right!!

When my planning session was over and the team gathered to begin the workday, there was this one big thing that needed to get accomplished. Like a lumberjack sizing up the takedown-tree in his sights, we were ready to fire up the chainsaws and yell "Timmmmmbbrrrrrrrr!"

Never happened that way. Problem was all the underbrush that was blocking the way to the tree. To clear that we needed rakes and weedeaters, not chain oil

. In fact, this "underbrush" of implied and precursor tasks took most of our time. Some days, we never even touched the tree!

We even created the "weedeater award." It was a coil of weedeater string wrapped around a stick, symbolizing the effort it took to get to the goal of the day. It seemed backwards at first, but the greatest performer was the one that got us TO the tree, not the guy that knocked it down.

Never underestimate the small, hidden, mundane tasks that make the big things possible.