GarthBox

There’s a moment when a server arrives and you ask about an element of the menu…. or merely place an order for something and if they don’t know that they serve or if they offer a flavor, they lose a good amount of trust. It looks bad on the restaurant, on the management, and on the individual.

The same can be said for the creative team that gets assigned a project and starts working on it before reviewing the creative brief.

The same can be said for the leader that has a 1-1 with their team member later today and they don’t review the submitted topics of discussion in advance of the meeting.

Simply put: Do the reading. It’s not just (sadly) a competitive advantage, but it’s respectful of those you’re serving.

Of course, you could just toss the menu, but I don’t expect you to sell much if you do.

Stay Positive & Can I Take Your Order Now?

In our fast-paced, results-driven world, there’s a common misconception that the more we produce, the more successful we are. We often find ourselves caught in the endless cycle of output—checking off tasks, meeting deadlines, and completing projects—without pausing to consider the true impact of our efforts. But what if we shifted our focus from mere output to meaningful outcomes?

Understanding Output vs. Outcome

Output is the tangible result of our efforts: the number of reports written, the projects completed, the emails sent. While these are important indicators of productivity, they don’t necessarily reflect the value we create or the difference we make. Outcomes, on the other hand, are the real-world impacts of our work. They measure how our actions change situations, influence people, and drive progress.

For example, a teacher’s output might be the number of lessons taught, but the outcome is the students’ understanding and application of the knowledge. A marketer’s output could be the number of campaigns run, but the outcome is the increase in customer engagement and sales.

Outcomes go beyond quantity; they focus on quality and effectiveness.

The Benefits of Prioritizing Outcomes

1. Increased Motivation and Satisfaction: When we see the tangible impact of our work, we’re more motivated and satisfied. Knowing that our efforts lead to meaningful change gives us a sense of purpose and fulfillment that simply checking off tasks cannot provide.
   
2. Better Decision-Making: Focusing on outcomes helps us prioritize what truly matters. We become more strategic, investing our time and resources in activities that drive significant results rather than getting bogged down in busywork.
   
3. Enhanced Collaboration: When teams align around desired outcomes, collaboration improves. Everyone understands the bigger picture and works together towards a common goal, fostering a more cohesive and supportive work environment.
   
4. Continuous Improvement: Measuring outcomes encourages continuous learning and improvement. By evaluating what works and what doesn’t, we can adapt our approaches, innovate, and achieve even better results over time.

Stay Positive & What Has What You’ve Done Done Today?

Polishing the work is always faster than we think it will be.

Doing the work is always quicker than we anticipate.

Preparing the work is when it actually takes longer than we think.

Brewers spend more time cleaning and preparing than they do brewing. Painters, too. Same with product developers. And, you know, just about any project that is meaningful.

Stay Positive & Better Start Early (Read: now)

It might be a sign of defeat. It’s definitely a condition of emptiness. And it sucks if it happens too soon.

But it’s a sign of having given your all/best. It’s definitely a condition of of fulfillment. And it sucks if it happens too late.

Stay Positive & How Were You Yesterday?

There’s a number of activities we all participate in that we could easily and quickly chalk up as being a waste.

That’s not very useful for us, though. Unless our goal is to feel bad about ourselves.

That latest TV show may be impactful for you to watch it you’re going to a trendy trivia bar next Tuesday.

That old school pokemon game could be the reminder of the power of patience and persistence you were looking for.

That walk you took where you forgot your phone and didn’t have any ear buds in could give you the silence you need to source fresh ideas.

The only activities that aren’t useful are the ones you don’t find a use for. Of course, that’s on you…not the activity.

Stay Positive & You Don’t Need Lemons To Make Lemonade

No, this isn’t a post about the power of asking questions. You know that.

It’s about asking the same question.

But differently.

It’s the one path of question-asking that scares the shit out of people because it might just open pandora’s box.

Why doesn’t this person have any ambitions? Is one question.

What is this person excited about? Is the same question, really.

That wasn’t even trying very hard and it’s clear that one way of framing the question is like driving to a dead end, but the other is finding a roundabout.

The challenge here is this: if you don’t get the answer you need when you ask the question. Don’t just to asking a different question. Jump to asking the same question differently.

Stay Positive & Know What I Mean?

It’s a trick question, really.

You can learn from anything as long as you’re curious and you try to learn from it.

But the reality is that most things are like milk when they come to lessons learned: there’s an expiration date.

The difference is the milk has the date printed on it. In life, you determine the date.

You determine it when it no longer brings you joy, when you’re no longer curious, when you’re ready to learn large lessons rather than tiny ones.

Perhaps the better question to ask is this: Do I still want to learn from this?

Stay Positive & There Are Other, Newer Milks Out There