There’s a great anecdotal story I heard years ago that seems so relevant today…

A child is watching her mother make a roast beef and she cuts off 3 inches of it and throws it away. “Why do you cook a roast beef that way Mom?” she asked.  “Because that’s the way my mother taught me!” answered her mother.  So, she went to the grandmother and asked the same question.  The grandmother smiled and simply said, “That’s the way my mother taught me.”   That took her to her great grandmother, who smiled and holding her hands about 10 inches apart said, “Because I only had a pan this big!”

How many times do you find yourself doing something, simply because it’s the way you’ve always done it?   I’m willing to bet, like the majority of us, there’s at least something you’re managing by the exception.   Something happened years ago and started you on a mission to avoid ever having the same problem again.   Unfortunately with the economy and changes in technology all the paradigms have shifted.  Nothing is the same, especially when it comes to your marketing plans.  Times have changed, but have you?

The other night I was watching 60 Minutes and Andy Rooney was attacking the airlines and their policies. “Because one bad terrorist tried to smuggle a bomb in his shoes, millions of us have to take off our shoes to go through security!”   And yesterday I was stopped by TSA because my liquids were in a gallon freezer bag instead of a 2 quart!   Management by the exception.  

As you start to wrap up 2009 and plan for a great 2010 it’s time for a little house cleaning.  Let’s get rid of comments like, “We tried that already!” or anything close to “Been there done that!”    Take a look at your workflow – is it all it really could be or better yet should be.  Is your marketing plan and material hitting the target you really want or are there some new targets out there for you to consider?  Do you have all the skills you need to be able to handle whatever assignments come through your door?

Most of important of all, let’s all stop looking back and making statements like “You know what I should have done?”  In short, stop “shoulding” on yourself!