Is it Plugged In?

As soon as Thanksgiving dinner is over, my family likes to sit around and watch holiday movies. Our favorite is National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. One of my favorite scenes is when Clark Griswold attempts to turn on all his home Christmas lights after he has spent all day installing them.

To get to this point, he has braved the cold Chicago weather, fallen off a collapsing ladder, stapled his clothes to a gutter, and fallen off the roof. Now, it is night and the whole family is outside ready for the unveiling. He asks for a drum roll, sings Joy to the World, and then what happens?

Nothing! No lights go on.

Clark is laughed at by his in-laws but encouraged by his children. His wife asks him, “Is it plugged in?” Clark assures her, it was the first thing he checked.

Well, he is correct, partially. The lights are plugged in, but the light switch is not turned on!

What does this tell us about managing our important projects? Sometimes it’s the smallest of oversights that can cost us the most. When working on a project the big, difficult, time consuming tasks get most of our attention. That makes sense.

But the small, seemingly insignificant tasks can be critical as well. Make sure ample time is given to them as well and certainly do not skip them like our friend Clark did.

So, this holiday season, always check to see if it is plugged in and that the switch is turned on.

Until next time…we are Advoco, make every minute count.

About Colin: Colin Whitney is a Solutions Architect with Advoco and looks forward to helping others achieve their EAM goals. He is a graduate of both the University of Iowa and the University of Georgia. When he is not working he enjoys getting outside and watching college football. Questions? Send Colin an email!