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Secrets to Success
Deborah Cole Micek
and John-Paul Micek
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We get by with a little help from ...
AS the rocks came tumbling down the mountain, through the streambed in our backyard, water came rushing down, heading straight for our offices.
During the lull before the rockslide, we had walked up the hill with our rottweiler to check out how the water was flowing through the streambed. John-Paul pointed to where the water kept hitting the top sides of the embankment.
"If the water breaks through this," he said, "we're going to be in a heap of trouble."
At that moment, we started hearing rocks tumbling through the stream, getting louder and louder. Bells started going off in our heads, warning us that if we didn't get out of there, we might become a statistic on the evening news.
We got out of the way just as a boulder burst through, and water came gushing down, heading straight for our office doors below. We followed our dog's lead, as the four-legged, sure-footed canine found a safe path to the bottom.
Grabbing the industrial-sized broom, I began to sweep the foot of water that had come down, while John-Paul went to the top to plug the source of the problem.
It seemed like an exercise in futility -- sweeping and sweeping in order to prevent water from seeping through the house. I kept thinking that until he fixed the source of the problem, I'd be sweeping into perpetuity.
Catching my breath, trying to stay on top of the water flow that wanted to form a stream through our office, I realized that I needed help if I was ever to catch up. Minutes after calling the fire department, praying that help would soon be on its way, our neighbors showed up, offering to help any way they could!
MaryJo helped me sweep, while her husband, Scott, went up the mountain to help JP. Finally, it looked like MaryJo and I were able to keep up with the water flow, so I went to see what the men were doing -- and sure enough, they had repaired the source of the problem. Whew! We were safe!
I kept thinking of one small-business owner in our coaching club who came to last month's mastermind call. He talked about how he couldn't hire a virtual assistant because he had so much on his plate and didn't have time to train another person.
But, just like the torrent of water that came down the mountain, his workload will continue to build, never allowing him to catch up -- unless he addresses the source of the problem and finds some outside help to handle the workload.
Once he creates the proper systems to handle the workflow, he will make life better not only for himself, but for all the people his business helps or employs.
John-Paul Micek is the lead business coach at RPM Success Group Inc. Reach him at
JPM@RPMsuccess.com or toll-free at (888) 334-8151.
Deborah Cole Micek, chief executive officer of RPM Success Group, is a business success coach and life strategist. Reach her at
DCM@RPMsuccess.com or toll-free at (888) 334-8151.