Destination: Organization is the title of my new book, due out in the next month. This has been one of my priorities for 2006. While the overall process has been smooth, one part did accent the differences between right-brained and left-brained dominating personalities.
At the start, after working with Barbara Hemphill, author of the “Taming the Paper Tiger” series as well as other publications, who had said that one thing she has always regretted was giving up control of her first book, I decided to follow the independent publishing route by using a book facilitator to handle all the details involved, such as finding editors, illustrators, printers, deciding on the type, format, etc. This way I got to have the creative input and final decisions but do not have to spend time finding the right connections.
Several people who had already gone through the book authoring and publication process told me that the hardest part comes after you have written the book. While I may not agree with that, it does take a lot of additional time to go from manuscript to publication. This effort definitely comes under the heading of project management. Because my daily focus is on time management, when someone gives me a date that they will be submitting a design to me, I fully expect to see it on that day, or at least hear that there is a delay. When the day(s) go by without messages or returned calls, it’s frustrating. I can handle delays, or a slowdown in the creative process, but I would like to be advised. Otherwise I’m wondering if something happened, and the project is off. This is not the first time I’ve worked with gifted, creative people who juggle multiple projects within their own time frames, and frequently changes dates for work promised.
I recognize that I’m dominant left-brained. I might be booked for a speaking engagement a year in advance, so I know where I’m headed most of the time. Yet I’m very flexible when clients have a need to rebook a date because I know there’s so much going on in everyone’s lives.
The end is in sight for the wrap-up of the project, and it is actually on target for what I projected in January, which is an August publication date. I did figure in the little delays, but that does not make it any less difficult when you try to coordinate pieces of projects. While I really like the work my illustrator did with the book, I would be hesitant to recommend him to others because of the frustration due to the lack of communication in keeping me advised of where he was on the project.
What are your experiences as a dominant right- or left- brained person dealing with the opposite in a business situation?
3 responses so far ↓
1 mamoon // Aug 30, 2006 at 8:59 am
Time management is really maximising output during the time as time has its own pace and it waits for no one. This is important because if one is efficient but not effective, how is one to be judged in terms of time management? I think we need time utilisation for maximum benefit as the key focus of time management.
2 Denise // Aug 30, 2006 at 12:11 pm
You brought up a very important point that is often overlooked in regard to time management. Many people think of efficient and effective as synonyms. In reality you want to accomplish your work as effectively as possible, meaning you are prioritized, focused, and able to do the important things to grow your business within a minimal amount of time. Efficient by itself may streamline all tasks but doesn’t address the need to prioritize. Being efficient can help you be more effective when you choose the activities that yield the most value.
3 Sylvester Garza // Nov 3, 2006 at 12:39 pm
Thanks for clarifying the difference between efficient and effective. Being efficient doesn’t necessarily equate to being effective - I guess the big picture perspective might suggest being objective driven while being supported by the infrastructure, so to speak of an organized workflow system/environment.
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