If you’ve followed us, you know we are firm believers that structure sets you free. We know from experience that allowing a disruption to that structure greases the skids to go right off the path.
That disruption may be caused by inadvertence. For example, if your structure is to get up at 5:30 a.m. and you have, more or less, trained your body to waken at that time, your failure to set an alarm for 5:30 is inadvertence on your part. There will come a time that you don’t wake when you want to. Failure to get up according to your structure can and probably does derail the rest of your day. It’s a lot like relying on memory. At some point, you’re gonna forget.
Examine the times when you’ve fallen off the horse regarding client calls, diet, exercise or anything else, and you’ll find it is always caused by a breakdown in your structure. I have become obsessive to the point of nuttiness about prepping the coffee the night before and putting workout clothing in the bathroom. If one of those two things are off in the morning, it sets off the probability that I’ll skip my workout. Not guaranteed, but I’ve increased the probability of failure by my inadvertence. I have habitualized the pattern of nighttime prep, so I’m removing inadvertence and increasing the likelihood of sticking to my structure. I am removing the possibility of structural failure.
The same thing is true with clients and staff. It’s easy to get frustrated when managing others. They’re unhappy, unmotivated, etc. The bad news is that people are fundamentally crazy, and it’s very difficult to manage people. It’s a skill most people lack. However, what most people can do is manage systems and structure. When you are working with staff or coaching clients and things have gone awry, it’s easy to stop and evaluate where the breakdown occurred. It’s a matter of managing the situation rather than the person: “Where did the breakdown occur and how can we create a structure to prevent that in the future?”
You’ve built structures, but you must also avoid the inadvertence that can lead to their failure. When you find yourself off your intended path and when things have gone awry, I am certain that when you stop to evaluate how that happened, it will always be the result of structural failure.
