Clear Instructions Save Time and Money

The general made certain the private could read and repeat (in the private’s own words) EXACTLY what the orders meant. The general did this over and over until the verbiage was so clear, even this slow-witted private could understand. Good communications can make the difference between success and failure.

In the words of Nathaniel Hawthorne, “Easy reading is hard writing.”

Although we can’t be sure the “Gripe Sheet” story is altogether true, it does demonstrate how we can give people instructions and they can completely misinterpret them. When writing procedures, policies and control checklists for your company, they must be fine-tuned so that all of your employees can understand them.

Once the chaos in your business is eliminated and all forms of waste are reduced by more than 70 percent, you just might find time for a good laugh!

Did I mention—Great systems work!