The Joyful Reaper Speaketh
A group of my previous colleagues used to call me “The Joyful Reaper” with great affection, and I was always endlessly entertained by that nickname and wore it proudly. It came about because while I am very cheerful and happy by nature, I would often remind them that life was short and you should do the things you wanted to do now, because you never knew when you wouldn’t be able to do them anymore (take that dream vacation, clock out early to see your kid play baseball, read that novel, learn that new hobby, jump out of a plane if you want to, even take that other job! Live your life!!). I suppose my viewpoint on the brevity of life and bodily capacity was informed by all of my years working in hospital social work, and specifically the last few years of that role working in oncology. You learn quickly working in those environments that health, wellness, and life are guaranteed to none of us, and that we should truly always be living life as if it’s our last day on earth, because you just never know.
So, for the sake of business thinking, let me shine the Joyful Reaper spotlight on you:
You could die tomorrow. I know you don’t think you can, and you very probably won’t, but the fact remains that you could! (I hope you don’t, I like you and want you around for a very long time!)
In the very unlikely event that happens, there are a number of existential questions you could ask yourself about how you are spending your precious time here on earth (and I very much encourage you to do so), but for a few minutes, let’s zoom in on the work implications of that happening: who does your job next Monday? Do they already know how? Have they done it before? Would they know where to find everything to do it? Would they know the steps to do the tasks you do? Does it matter?
That last question is important. Does it matter? I’m not asking the more existential question of whether your job and you personally matter in the bigger scheme of things (it does and you do), but how critical are you as a person to whether or not your company stays in business or succeeds this week, this month, or this year? We are all important, and our work is also all important, but determining the urgency of your need for a more structured operations framework that creates continuity for your company (and perhaps even more specifically: role and responsibility clarity and succession plans) hinges on whether or not your company could get by without you (not someone in your role, you personally) for several months or longer.
Now let’s look at it from a less Reaper-y perspective, and more fun-for-you perspective. Let’s say you got a new amazing job offer tomorrow, or you won the lottery and didn’t need to work anymore (yay you!). You go to your boss and say, “Today is my last day,” or I’m giving my two weeks notice” or “I’m giving my one month’s notice,” or “I’ll be moving on after this academic year,” whatever the case may be. Your boss starts to panic, because there is no clear framework or standard operating procedures for your role, and/or there is no succession plan in place. They don’t have anyone trained to replace you, and they beg you to stay, but can’t offer any compelling reason why you would. This is not your problem, obviously, as you will be moving on to other, better things, and it is not your problem to solve this…
…unless you happen to be the boss and your employee is standing in front of you telling you that they’re leaving!
Sturdy operational frameworks that include role and responsibility clarity and documented standard operating procedures are critical for startups, small businesses, and larger corporations or organizations for all roles. Succession planning is necessary for all business-critical roles. Identifying WHO would step up to fill a role when a change is happening, either organically or through sudden organizational change, is important. Equally as important is HOW and WHAT–ensuring that the new person is trained to do their new role and creating a transition plan, and also creating a clear set of role responsibilities and standard operating procedures for those role responsibilities so that someone coming in knows what they are expected to do and the steps to complete those tasks, in case that situation ever arises (either out of misfortune or fortune, whatever the case may be).
Having robust operations frameworks for your company’s operations processes and succession planning for all critical roles is the key to avoiding disruptions in business operations and client experiences and keeping the company moving forward even in times of unexpected significant turnover or changes.
And so, the Joyful Reaper speaketh: Have a defined and robust operations framework and succession planning in place for your role or business, you’ll never regret it!(And also, take that dream vacation and go to your kid’s baseball game and create connection and memories and live your life well! You’ll never regret that, either!)
I’m always happy to work with you to customize and implement my proven operations framework to set your business up for success in the unexpected, reach out to connect if you’re interested!