Stephen Covey famously quotes the story of the Goose and the Golden Eggs, when he describes the P/PC balance. His point is that to continue Production (P or Golden Eggs), you must maintain, foster and strengthen your Production Capability (PC or better known as the Goose).
Of course this makes sense in theory, but too often in practice, PC gets set aside. This can be true for our systems that we use to get things done, the vehicles or tools we employ, even our bodies themselves. For instance, far too often I choose to keep working instead of going for a bike ride. In the long run that bike ride would strengthen, not weaken, my Production Capability, because I’d be stronger, healthier and have a clearer mind. But I’ll keep plugging along at my desk instead and let those PC maintenance opportunities slip by.
Well today was all about taking care of the Geese. We had stayed on the Idaho side last night and got up early to come back home this morning. I was due at the office at 8 so I immediately got in the shower and washed off 4 days of dirt. The first Goose needed a bath. There is nothing better than the first shower after camping for a few days. Especially when lots of mountain biking has been done. Tim’s shower washed off not only dirt but his allergies as well. He’d been sneezing nonstop for 2 days, but a shower cured him completely.
We then were back at work until 5 when it was time to take care of our big Goose. Frank was muddy too and we took him for a thorough scrub down at the local car wash. 1 1/2 hours later he came out waxed, vacuumed and smelling significantly better. Though it wasn’t the most action packed of days, we felt better coming home just knowing that we’d be able to harvest a few more golden eggs from the work of the day.
What Say You?