A sweaty crew of workers resurfaced our parking lot recently. The freshly painted lines on hot blacktop not only look amazing, but the early results indicate the renovation is going to change behavior.
That’s because we requested they paint one more line. An end line.
For background, one of the pet peeves of our lawn care service was that on mowing days, cars had parked so far forward on the blacktop that they couldn’t cut all the grass. The bumpers of cars were hanging over the blacktop and into the grassy area. When the personnel arrived, we’d have to ask people to stop working to go and back up their cars. Or we just had to deal with that unsightly, skinny row of uncut grass that they couldn’t reach. This situation was no one person’s fault. If no one tells you where to stop, you assume you can pull as far forward as possible.
We saw the resurface job as an opportunity to change behavior.
The first day back at work after the resurface, I took this photo. This is how employees had naturally parked … without any instruction. They saw an end line and didn’t cross it. (Truly, this photo was not staged. And the results are beautiful and amazing.)
What end lines in your business need painted?
Upgrades shouldn’t just restore to normal; they should take things to the next level. Look at upgrades and even everyday processes as a chance for improvement. How could a small change – something done every day – lead to a significant upgrade?
What small guideline, policy or expectation could you more clearly define to help employees know where to go or when they’ve gone too far? If you get it right, they’ll nearly automatically line up all by themselves.
Editor’s note
I published this commentary as a LinkedIn post in June. The post to date has been seen by 117,000 people. That’s more eyeballs than fit into a standing-room-only AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. I never would have guessed when I wrote this that so many people would see it. Remember, if you’re doing your own advocacy for your farm or for agriculture in general, even a few views matter. One hundred views is comparable to reaching the congregation of a local church. A couple thousand views is similar to the audience for a concert. If you get over 10,000 views, you’re starting to reach arena or stadium-level audiences.
Don’t get discouraged if your posts only get a few hundred views at first. You’re still reaching a congregation. Keep going. Your influence can only grow. And who knows when one of your posts may go viral.
I can tell you from my most recent experience with this post that you’ll probably be surprised what ends up going viral. I was honestly surprised this one resonated with so many.
Follow me on LinkedIn at @wcooley or on Facebook at @PDwaltcooley.
