Monday Morning Match is a quick post – maybe a quote, inspirational story or idea – intended to spark some motivation inside each of you so your week gets off to a fantastic start on Monday morning.
We got more snow today. I’m not a huge fan of winter, let alone snow so when we awoke to almost 4 inches of fresh snow and it was still coming down, I wasn’t exactly whistling Dixie. Instead of letting it ruin their day, many kids in the neighborhood put on their snow suits and went outside and built snowmen. It’s not a bad lesson on finding a positive in a snowy situation.
Driving through the half-plowed streets of my town, I saw many snowmen and snow-women filling the yards. Some were small and fat while others were skinny and tall. Some stood proudly while others seemed to be leaning one way or another (and that’s not intended as a political statement). Some were just plain snowmen while others had apparel, arms and props such as shovels, brooms and even golf clubs.
It got me thinking about some of the lessons for adults when building a snowman for a successful business.
You have to be ready when conditions are right – You can’t delay and wait for a better time. You have to have packing snow for the best snowmen and today’s thick, wet snow was perfect.
Begin w the end in mind – Steven Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People begins with this suggestion and building a snowman should to. Do you want to make this snowman (or snow-woman) short or tall? Skinny or fat? Will they stand alone or in a group of snow-people?
Start with a strong foundation – The first large snowball you roll must be big enough and strong enough to support the rest of the snowman. The good news is you can always keep adding to the base until you’re confident and ready to start adding.
Maintaining balance is critical – The biggest mistake amateurs make when erecting their snowman is to toss that second ball – the torso – on to the base willy-nilly. It not only needs to be placed on their securely, it should be centered and additional packing snow should be packed in to create a “girdle of support.” In business, when you have a strong core in your beliefs and values, it’s hard for anyone to get you off track.
Keep rolling until you have what you want – If you’ve got a big enough yard to grab snow from, don’t be too quick to stop rolling with the flow. When the momentum is working for you, enjoy the ride.
You might have to reach higher than you expected to finish the job – Sometimes your base and second “torso” ball are so big that you need to stand on your tiptoes to mount the third ball on top. The head of the snowman needs to follow the same rules of proportion and balance as the torso but to be seen by all those passing by should be standing tall and proud.
To stand out you need to add in some personality – You can’t just stop after balancing the three large snowballs on top of each other. If you do, you just have a snowball pile. You’ve got to add some eyes and a nose, maybe even a mouth and a hat. You could go “old school” and use charcoal for eyes and a carrot for a nose or you might bust out of the status quo and get creative. There are plenty of others out there doing what everyone else is. How can you add some flair and be memorable?
You have to be strong enough to be in the spotlight – It’s not going to be winter forever. Soon the warm sunshine of spring will break through the clouds and start warming up the Midwest and other parts of the country. Is your snowman created with such precision and commitment that they slightest bit of heat won’t make him crumble? Can she withstand the direct pressure of a spotlight or will it cause her to wither away until the next opportunity arises?
So what do you think? Do you catch my drift? Are you ready to get the ball rolling this week? Now’s not the time to flake out. Snow excuses from any of you out there. Just focus on building relationships, solving problems and having fun. Once you’ve done that, enjoy your hot chocolate.
Photo Credit: MrHayata via Flickr
Photo Credit: Daniel Burton via Flickr