Let’s Get as Lazy as Possible…to Get as Efficient as Possible

Do you like to be lazy? 

Before you answer, stick with me for a quick funny story…

Nearly 100  years ago, I owned an eCommerce business. 

Well it feels like it was nearly 100 years ago. 

Anyway. 

What a thrilling experience!  

As the company grew, we endured lots of growing pains (which is a wonderful problem). 

On the other hand, instead of looking at it as growing pains, more realistically, I just became a pain. 

Once the company reached a point that exceeded my skillset, it was time to call in the experts for help. 

I decided for the company to grow and also scale, we needed to move the business to a fulfillment center.

So after long due diligence process, we found a partner who seemed like a great fit and would help us reach our goals. 

It was a smaller company with a wonderful team. 

Unfortunately they also encountered running into challenges and growing pains. 

Things quickly started slipping through the cracks.

After talking with the owner of the company, we mutually decided that we need to need to hire a manager. 

Somebody that could take ownership of our project as well as champion our whole program to get the ship turned around.

So I received a phone call one day from the owner and he shares that he found a perfect candidate to manage our account.

He asked me to visit the facility to interview this new candidate. 

So I show up for the interview.

We kick off the interview with the cordial “tell us about yourself.”

Her response…

“I’m Not the Sharpest Tool in the Shed and I’m Really Lazy” 

SCREECH!!!!!!!  Needle off the record. Hold the phone.

“I’m not the sharpest tool in the shed and I’m really lazy?!?!?!”

WHAT?!?!?! 

I just sat there trying to register what I just heard.

My immediate thought, “Did I just hear that correctly or am I hearing things?” 

We’re in a job interview and this person just said, “I’m not the sharpest tool in the shed and I’m lazy”. 

I was absolutely captivated!!

She continues by scooting up in her chair, looks me dead in the eye and says…

“I’m not the sharpest tool in the shed, so I need things as absolutely as easy and simple as possible. If it’s not  easy and simple and I don’t understand it, how on earth could I expect my team to understand it?

That’s number one.

Number two, I am really lazy.

For example, why on earth would I put the slowest moving goods near the shipping lanes and the fastest moving goods in the back?

I want things as efficient as humanly possible to minimize the workload because I’m lazy. I want to manage as few people as possible and maximize our resources. That’s how we are going to make the company money.” 

Drop the mic!!  

She won us over instantly. 

We hired her immediately. 

She was absolutely awesome and a total rock star.

She completely turned things around within a month. 

So our running joke, let’s be lazy as humanly possible.

In other words, why do unnecessary tasks?

How can we eliminate all those profit killers and dreaded time wasters?

Things that are just consuming and absorbing your precious time and preventing you from hitting your goals?

Being “lazy” allows you to laser focus on what you want to accomplish in order to move the needle as fast as possible.

So go out there and GET LAZY!! 

Check this out: What is Every Person’s Favorite Word? Hmmm…