Optimizing Redundancy: Personal and Professional Duct Tape

I have the pleasure of speaking with senior leaders across the country. Sometimes themes arise and I feel compelled to pass these along. If there’s something going on for two or more of my clients in different parts of the country, there’s something people need to focus on.

 

Most people think of redundancy as a bad thing. 

In fact, many definitions point to something that’s redundant as something that’s no longer necessary or needed.

 

So how is redundancy in your personal and professional life akin to duct tape, something that holds it all together? Let’s take a lesson from engineering and the tech sectors, shall we? Redundancy is noted as being components that aren’t necessary for the running of the thing, but are used as backup in case of failure of the thing/system.

 

As I type this, I have my iPad near me. It has a Bluetooth keyboard. So, if my computer went out, or if the keyboard I’m using went out, I have a backup.

 

Most people have more than one credit card. Why? For a sense of security in case one get maxed out, goes missing, or doesn’t work for some reason. 

 

At work, we need to do cross-training. The saying, “what if he/she were hit by a bus?” is about knowing that one person doesn’t hold ALL of the keys to the internal processes of their job. I’ve seen some serious IT departments who hide behind the cloak of being “too technologically intricate” to explain to lay people. And they have just one person who holds the key to some mainframe architecture. You need SOLID COMMUNICATION internally. You need to lead your teams to cross communicate the projects AND the processes, so that all are clear. And you need more than one person holding the information keys to the internal processes, no matter what business you’re in. 

 

And dovetailing on the idea of broadening communication, here’s a question for you: How does redundancy work in your relationships?

No… NO… I am not talking about side-action here. NO. C’mon, really?  NO. 

I’m talking about how to make your relationships work better. Did you tell someone you loved them? With words? Did you show them? With actions? 

 

When I was doing couple’s work, I was always surprised by the guys who would go “I don’t have to tell her I love her. She knows. I mean, I wouldn’t have bought her snow tires if I didn’t love her.” Uh, yeah. Say it AND show it.

 

And that goes for work as well. 

Tell someone you appreciate what they’re working on, how they’re working on it, etc.

Then, show it. Acknowledge it in some way.

 

Head to www.RelationshipRecharge.com for a free 7-tip guide on how to put vitality back into your relationship. 

 

Have a frighteningly good weekend (Halloween joke). See you here next week!

 

~ Dr P ~