On-Time, On-Target
Bob the On-Time, On-Target Manager walked
back to his office with a spring in his step that had
been missing for quite some time.
One of the first things he did that day was post a
note that would stare him in the face every time he
glanced in the direction of his computer monitor.
All the note said, very simply, was:
PRIORITY. Triage everything.
PROPRIETY. Remember the Bill of Rights.
COMMITMENT. “I gotta wanna.”
Despite the encouraging daily reminder, old habits
were hard to break. Bob struggled for the longest time
to adjust his priorities—and his schedule . . . his way of
doing things—so that he could meet his commitments
both at work and at home.
What helped Bob the most was the development
of a daily triage form. Here he was able to write down
his major commitments for the day, his essential tasks,
e-mails, phone calls, and “gotta wannas.”
Bob also made some immediate progress in other
areas. For starters, he pulled into the gas station long
before he needed a refill. Even if it was only down by
a third or a half, if he had extra time, he filled the tank.
From the day he made that decision, he never worried
about running out of fuel on his way to an important
meeting. He used the small gaps in his schedule to
prioritize all of the small activities so that the big
blocks of time could be invested more productively.
He also learned how to delegate—something he
had never completely figured out before. The company
had long ago provided a cell phone to every manager,
but there never seemed to be enough time to program
all of his frequently called numbers. Aha! he thought.
I’ll have Michelle input all the numbers during her free
time between school and dance practice. That task took
his daughter just over thirty-five minutes and he paid
her a much-appreciated ten bucks.
One of the most impactful lessons he learned
about applying the Three P Strategy occurred when
the representative of a company that wanted to be
added to his list of vendors paid him a visit.
98 / On-Time, On-Target
TRIAGE PLAN FOR _______________________________________ 20_______
MAJOR COMMITMENTS
FOR TODAY
___________________
___________________
___________________
ESSENTIAL TASKS TO
FULFILL COMMITMENTS
___________________
___________________
___________________
OFFICE DUTIES FOR THE DAY
___________________
___________________
___________________
E-MAILS/LETTERS TO WRITE
___________________
___________________
___________________
___________________
___________________
___________________
MY GOTTA WANNAS
Exercise
___________________
___________________
___________________
___________________
___________________
PHONE CALLS TO
PLACE/RETURN
___________________
___________________
___________________
___________________
___________________
___________________
___________________
___________________
___________________
___________________
___________________
___________________
“I can not only beat my competitors’ prices by
two percent,” the visitor boasted, “but I can also offer
you an ongoing ‘personal management fee’ of five
percent that will be deposited directly into your
personal checking account without anyone ever
knowing about it.”
Bob listened to the visitor and a quick string of
“rights” raced through his mind. He’s offering me a
kickback. It’s not the right thing to do, it’s not for any
of the right reasons, and this clown certainly isn’t the
right partner.
So Bob showed his visitor the door.
As time went on, Bob’s schedule seemed to be
packed beyond capacity, and there were often
important things that remained undone at the end of
each day—despite his increased ability to “triage.”
Thankfully, however, he had developed
tremendous trust in the CEO. She had the rare ability
to see issues from a clear, unobstructed vantage point,
so he decided to talk to her about the problem.
The CEO listened carefully, then, without
warning, she pushed the magic button on her desk. As
the lights dimmed, the screen dropped from the
ceiling, and the music began to play, Bob said, “Don’t
tell me there’s another P!”
100 / On-Time, On-Target
The CEO smiled but didn’t reply. She simply
waited for her projector to do its thing. As had
happened three times previously, a single word blazed
and burned itself in stone. This time the word had only
two letters—and the first letter wasn’t “P.” It was “N.”
The word was “No.”
Bob was astonished. “No?” he asked.
“Yes,” the CEO responded. “More correctly, ‘Yes
and No.’ On-time, on-target managers know when and
how to say yes, and when and how to say no. Lastminute
managers often get hopelessly behind because
they believe the only appropriate answer to any
request is ‘Yes.’ This gets back to the difference
between interest and commitment. When you say ‘yes’
to something you are interested in doing, other people
don’t know that your ‘yes’ really means ‘maybe.’ It’s
okay to be interested in many things, but commitment
should be reserved for only high priority activities
where ‘yes’ really means ‘yes’ no matter what. So
commitment adds intensity to high priorities.”
Bob was genuinely puzzled. “If I say no to
someone’s request, doesn’t my response demonstrate
that I don’t have a servant heart?”
“Not at all. People often feel that having a servant
heart means that you have to please everyone. That is
a misconception. Having a servant heart means that
you always have the greater good in mind. It means
On-Time, On-Target / 101
you care about yourself, the company, your coworkers,
and our customers more than you care about saying
yes to satisfy what are often the selfish needs of those
who are not in alignment with that philosophy. Just as
it’s not possible for darkness and light to exist in the
same place at the same time, it’s also not possible for
selfishness and selflessness to coexist. And a lastminute
manager cannot possibly live in the same body
as an on-time, on-target person. The exciting part of
this is, you get to decide what you want to be . . . and
will continue to become.”
“That really makes sense,” Bob observed. “And I
can see now that the Three P’s will help me determine
when to say yes, and when to say no.”
“Exactly! The reason I only display ‘No’ on my
screen is because that’s the part of ‘Yes and No’ that
gives people the most trouble. You must be able to
apply the principle of triage, the Bill of Rights, and the
‘Ya gotta wanna’ approach to every ‘Yes’ and every
‘No.’ Otherwise some of your ‘yes’ answers may end
up being ‘maybes’ and you create stress for yourself
and others.”
“I really appreciate your time,” Bob said as he
stood to leave. “This has been extremely helpful.”
“Bob, there’s something you should know. When
you were first put on probation, you were late for our
first meeting, and you rushed into the second
102 / On-Time, On-Target
meeting—completely out of breath. I should have
called off The Process right then and there. But I
really wanted to give you a chance. I’ve read about the
things you’ve done for our community in the
newspaper. I sensed that I was sitting across the desk
from a quality individual—albeit a last-minute
manager. Truthfully, I believed that somewhere
underneath all of the last-minute habits, there was the
heart of a caring servant. So I called my big brother
and asked him if you were really worth keeping on the
payroll. He said, ‘Yes, if you can figure out how to
transform him from a last-minute manager into an ontime,
on-target manager.’ Then he candidly admitted
that he didn’t know how to do that. He didn’t believe
that a Chief Effectiveness Officer could help solve the
problem either, but you’ve proved him wrong.”
Bob was baffled by her words. “You have an older
brother? He works here? And I know him?”
The CEO smiled. “I didn’t say I had an older
brother. I said I had a ‘big brother.’ My big brother
and his wife helped me through some troubled times
in my life—right after my father died—when I was
only twelve years old. My mom brought me to Big
Brothers Big Sisters, a wonderful organization that
helps kids who are in need of role models. That’s
where I met Dave and Beth.”
On-Time, On-Target / 103
“Dave? Beth?” Bob asked. “I know a Dave and
Beth, believe it or not.”
At this point, the CEO was grinning broadly. “You
do, do you?”
It was as if lightning had struck him. “You don’t
mean . . . ?”
“Dave Pederson, our president and Chief
Executive Officer . . . ?” the CEO coaxed.
“Yes, that Dave.”
“That’s the one. My Big Brother. And Beth is my
Big Sister. I’m proud to be able to say that!”
“Wow! I never would have guessed!”
“Bob, they changed my life. They enriched me in
ways I could never have imagined or predicted. As a
result, I determined that I wanted to do everything I
could to enrich the lives of others. I decided that the
best way I could accomplish that was by being a
CEO—in a way, a caring sister.”
“I’ve never thought of you as a sister, but you’ve
certainly changed my life. I am grateful to you for
that!”
The CEO was pleased by what she had heard.
“Bob, I would say your last ten months have been a
success by every measure. If I’ve contributed in any
way, I will feel rewarded.”
104 / On-Time, On-Target
“You have—in more ways than you could ever
know.”
“I’m glad.”
Bob stood up to leave, but the CEO stopped him.
“Do you have just one more minute to spare?”
“Sure do,” was Bob’s reply.
“I have some big news to share, Bob, and I want
you to be the first to hear it. I’m going to have a baby,
and my husband and I are both thrilled.”
“That’s wonderful!” Bob exclaimed.
The CEO continued, “I’ve decided that my baby
is going to be my top priority . . . so I will be leaving
Algalon. With the exception of taking on a few
speaking engagements, I plan to be a full-time mom.”
Bob felt a sudden lump grow in his throat. “I’m
really going to miss you. I hate to admit it, but you’ve
become kind of a security blanket to me.”
“You’ll do great without me, Bob. You’ve become
a wonderful on-time and on-target manager, and
you’re likely to remain that way.”
“When’s your last day here?”
“Two weeks from tomorrow.”
“Can I buy you lunch before you leave?”
“I’d be honored,” the CEO replied.
On-Time, On-Target / 105
They parted company and Bob left work that day
with a renewed sense of confidence in his ability to
master his world, partly because he knew he could
finally say “no,” and partly because he suddenly
realized that there are people in this world who enrich
and empower others through their unselfish ways.
What a wonderful legacy she’ll be leaving behind, Bob
thought as he drove home that afternoon.
Five hours later, though, as he was about to drift
off to sleep, a troubling thought surfaced, seemingly
out of nowhere.
I know “I gotta wanna.” But what is it I gotta
wanna do?
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