“So if clubs are trump (the winning suit), then the jack of spades becomes a jack of clubs.”
My best friend from first grade lives a block from my parents and while I’ve been awaiting home renovation to be complete, we’ve been hanging out.
One gray Saturday, she, her boyfriend, and her cat Mimi taught me how to play euchre. (The rules require four players.)
Euchre is supposed to be part of one’s midwestern DNA. I mean, we even ate cheeseball while we played. (If you’re not familiar with cheeseball, hit me up. You’re missing out on one of life’s great pleasures.)
Somehow, I never learned the game. They were kind enough to teach me and it took something like three hours before I was ready to play a closed hand. Partially because our conversations went like this.
Me: “Ok, so when do you start by laying down an ace in your hand rather than a low trump card?
Them: “That’s strategy, Katie. Let’s get the procedure down first.”
Me: “Ok, so when do you tell the dealer to pick up?”
Them: “That’s strategy, Katie. Let’s get the procedure down first.”
Me: “Ok, so why does Marcy like to limit the number of suits in her hand and Jeremy does not?”
What do you think they said?
There is no Strategy without Procedure
It’s no secret that I’ve been streamlining my business procedures.
I did have to be dragged a little into the world of procedure, though. I was a little worried about what people would think and how they would react because it was something different.
But, once I started putting procedures into place, I realized two awesome things:
1) Everyone got calmer. I got calmer. My team got calmer. My clients were calmer, because we all knew how things were supposed to work. We weren’t guessing about who was supposed to do what, when, and what would happen if we didn’t do it.
2) Procedures made us more efficient, which allowed us to grow. That’s because we weren’t spending as much time on routine things that happen every day, every week, or every month. We had brainpower left over to think and plan!
The thing is, when everyone knows the rules (procedure) and is used to the rules (procedure), things move faster. I am still a sloooooooooooow euchre player because the procedure of the game is not yet ingrained in my head. I have to repeat to myself, every 30 seconds, “must follow suit. Must follow suit. MUST FOLLOW SUIT.” I can’t even get to strategy until I have followed the procedure. Which means I have little chance of winning.
In business, it’s hard to grow without procedure, because strategy is what helps you “win.” (I define “winning,” business-wise, as helping my clients grow by doing fulfilling work that I enjoy, getting paid what I would like to be paid. Your definition of winning might be different from mine.) And, repeat after me, “There is no strategy without procedure.”
My business procedures are my rules, such as:
- What kind of work I want to do.
- What kind of work I always want to refer to others.
- How contracts and payment terms are set up.
- When rush fees apply.
- What I pay in referral fees when work is referred to me.
- How meetings are conducted, and the steps for scheduling, running, and processing a meeting.
- When I send bills.
- When I pay contractors.
- How financials are tracked.
- What gets billed hourly and what gets billed flat rate.
- How work moves through the system.
My business strategy revolves around using my resources wisely, such as:
- Who is the best person to proofread newsletters?
- Who is the best person to be an account rep for website projects?
- When do I want to do a push for referral work?
- When do I want to “open the faucet” for a specific type of project?
- What should my email schedule be? What should my clients’ email schedules be?
- What is the best timing for a clients’ product launch, and which resources should be allocated toward that?
- Is there anything I currently do that I want to move away from?
- Is there anything I don’t do that I’d like to explore?
Luckily, in business, you usually have more information to use when implementing strategy, where as in euchre, you hope that if your partner tells you to pick up, they’re holding both of the trump suit jacks.
I can see, by reading my two lists, that it would be impossible for me to make good decisions about strategy without being clear on my procedure.
I’ve LIVED that problem. And it sucks.
You might actually be holding a trump card — the card that lets you “win” (however you define it) and all you need to do is make some lists (define your procedures) in order to realize it.
Cool Tools & Bookmarks
Facebook Delinter
(Is Facebook pulling an old image when you try to share a page. This tool will help.)
The Happiness Lab
A new podcast I’m listening to with science-based info about how to improve your mood.
Need help? Want to catch up? Book a discovery call. Here’s my handy link.
Happy New Year!
