trade offs - the game of life

Have you noticed I have been making lots of trade offs recently? as in I haven't posted here for awhile - so I must be spending my time elsewhere? That would be me trading the time it takes to brainstorm, write, and edit a post with laundry, watching TV, studying, working, catching up with family over the phone, and designing an RV among other things.

I have been learning a bit about business strategy and trade offs in my Supply Chain management class this semester.  We learned that a lot of companies ignore strategy and just work on being operationally efficient instead.  

Operationally efficient: when you work harder to get better at what you already do; like answer more phone calls, or take more payments, or submit paperwork with fewer errors.  You can measure all of those things, they are tangible - you either hit your goal or you didn't.

For companies, it is easier to focus on the tangible measures than making a decision on where you want to take your business in the future (aka strategy.)  The problem with becoming operationally efficient is that at some point you will make all the improvements possible and need to decide WHAT'S NEXT??? This is called hitting the productivity frontier.  I snapped a photo of my notes from class below.  Once you hit the curve, this is where you have to make a trade off.  Your business can expand, create another product, offer another service, decide to sell, or move to another region just to name a few options.

 

Reading through this - it is starting to sound quite dry.  This is how I try to stay interested: while I am daydreaming in class, I like to apply this very "businessy" language to my real life.  Here is my comparison.  I try hard to be operationally efficient day to day by sticking to a schedule for the kids drop off, squeezing in a gym run during lunch at least once a week, and getting gas at the same time I am out for groceries.

Just like in business though - there are only so many things I can do to become more operationally efficient.  At some point we need to start making decisions about what is the most important way to spend time.  Here are some of the real life trade offs I have made in the last 30 days:

• helping with the kids bed time routine vs. going to my evening MBA class
• writing blog posts vs. studying for class
• watching any TV vs. getting my butt to the gym

Hopefully the little trade offs every day support my long term goals.  In my case I am giving up quite a bit of family time during the week, but will walk away with an MBA once it is all done.  I consider that a pretty good trade off, others might not agree.

I am sure this is all pretty geeky (I am a self aware dork at heart.)  I do find it valuable to reflect on my goals and whether I am truly making any progress on them or not.  To be honest, I have it pretty easy right now with the MBA.  My classes are chosen for me every semester and I just need to attend class and do my homework - no need for a lot of thought here.  Once that is finished though, life will get tougher because I will have to make some REAL decisions about what comes next.

I hoping that these posts will help me figure it all out :)  Feel free to send over any advice - I could certainly use it!

split personalities

I feel like two different people - I have a creative side fighting with a very analytical corporate side of my personality.  This becomes a fight because there are very few careers that meld those two things together. 

Last week I discussed one of the ways I could express my creativity with a career move.  My next option is quite a bit more practical.  I am considering being an accountant.  I have just finished up my first year in an evening MBA program and the first semester was all about Accounting (financial and managerial.)  I really enjoyed the challenge and working with numbers which was a surprise for me.  I haven't had this much fun in a math class since AP Calculus in high school.  (Yes I was a total nerd in high school - I was also the layout editor of the yearbook and the lighting person in stage crew to round out my nerdiness.)

Pros of accounting: I think the work could be fun and interesting.  I would learn more about financial statements, taxes, and how this information effects stock prices.  I would be able to see through all the fine print - like an investigator flushing out all the details of a new case.  I would clearly be a hit at all the parties.  I love the accounting jokes on Parks and Recreation.

Cons: Lose the flexibility I have in my job today.  I would have to wake up - get dressed - commute to work at an office and be stuck their until the end of the day, every day.   I have been very lucky to work from home since 2009 and I am grateful for the flexibility that comes with a home office.

While I ended my last post with the decision NOT to open an Etsy shop; being an accountant is still on the table for me.  What would you do?  Would you ever consider a career in Accounting?