A lot of determination and lot of Starbucks: the two things that fuel Cliff Miller.
Recently, Miller has needed an extra dose of both motivation and coffee. When Mariani Landscape purchased Miller’s company, he took on the role of design director for Mariani. Since selling his business, Miller has had to acquaint himself with Mariani’s sometimes “confusing” systems that differ from the ones he had previously used.
After over 30 years in the industry, Miller shared how he confidently attacks working with a new team and combating the ever-present Monday doldrums.
Develop Concrete Solutions
For Miller, joining a new company and coming into work on Mondays are very similar experiences. Distractions pop up constantly as new trials emerge. Focusing on solutions is the key to not straying from achieving goals. Miller always makes sure to check off his task lists so he stays on track.
“I have the previous week kind of reviewed, where I’m at and what I need to do to meet work’s series of challenges with solutions. To add clientele, to satisfy the existing clientele, to increase your skills, all of that to me are the challenges that come with the job, and my job is all about providing solutions,” Miller says.
Avoid Dwelling
As Miller states, focusing on the negative aspects of challenges pulls you in completely the wrong direction. The stress of becoming the design director of a $45 million business in Illinois could easily affect Miller’s attitude. Just as with Mondays, working at a new company has involved a lot of responsibility, a lot of hard work and a lot of trial and error, all of which can really kill morale. Instead of being defeated, however, Miller puts a positive spin on the struggles he may face at work and at the beginning of the week.
“Let’s take that challenge and turn it into a positive thing, and by that I mean solving, or coming to terms with it, one of the two. Moving through the process is always far healthier than wallowing in it,” Miller explains.
Study Other Systems
While Miller has been dealing with a learning curve since joining the Mariani team, discovering new ways of operating a business has been beneficial. It is the same reason why Miller suggests studying how other people get over the Monday slump: you may just learn a better way of tackling a roadblock.
“It’s neat to see how other people are doing what you were doing for so many years. We all have our own ways of solving problems, and I’ve always enjoyed looking at how others do it,” Miller says.