Client One:
Owner of a growing business with several employees. He called because office efficiency was way down, he was overwhelmed with his task list, and felt that he was “spinning my wheels a large part of the day”.
Results:
It was obvious when I did an assessment that a large part of the problem was a lack of delegation. For instance, although he had an office manager, the owner still approved the weekly supply order. At first, he resisted my suggested list of tasks he could delegate. However, once we discussed ways to mitigate his fears [such as giving the office manager the authority to approve weekly supply orders under a set dollar limit], he was able to delegate many tasks and spend his time focusing on building the business, rather than the administrative tasks. The owner confided “[Your services] are the best investment I’ve ever made”
Client Two:
Works in an industry where professional image is important. He was clear that his disorganization was not hurting his clients, but it was hurting him “The more disorganized I am, the more it sucks the energy right out of me.” He was also concerned that new clients might, upon seeing his office, have the perception that the disorganization “may interfere with the service I provide”.
Results:
Like many pilers, this client was highly visual, and needed a system that honored that learning style. Eight years later, he is still using the open filing cart we initiated, and is able “to put my fingers on things instead of looking through piles”.
Client Three:
Finance Department of a large non-profit. Staffing had remained level, although the workload had increased 30% over the last 18 months. This was having a negative impact on morale, according to a survey conducted by the department manager. Due to budget constraints, staffing could not increase, but the CFO decided to bring me in to give the staff skills to help them handle the added work with less stress.
Results:
I performed a pre-program assessment, walking through the department, talking to people to understand their concerns, and taking pictures of the workspaces. Those pictures were incorporated into a fun, targeted and highly interactive presentation in which the entire department participated in learning how to analyze their workspace and how to make continuous improvement in their personal productivity.
From the CFO:
“We really enjoyed your presentation, especially the pictures of people’s offices. I took notes of the many great suggestions that you gave our staff. We already have staff cleaning things up, including myself!”
Client Four:
A bank branch manager often still at work at 8:30 pm Friday night. “My office is closing in on me. That’s why I’m here at this time; I’m trying to dig myself out of the clutter and the mess before I go home for the weekend. I just cannot leave it the way it is.”
Results (2 months later):
•“Maura showed me how to streamline a monthly process that used to take me three and a half hours (and that I often lugged home) to just half an hour.”
• “I wasn’t stressed preparing to leave on vacation, since others could now easily find important info in my office without me spending lots of time organizing it.”
•“Because of techniques Maura taught me, I’ve lost the fear of putting papers
away and not being able to remember what I had. From the day that she left, my desk has been clean.”
