Competition should not be for a share of the market-but to expand the market.
W. Edwards DemingRead
The average American worker has fifty interruptions a day, of which seventy percent have nothing to do with work.
Interpretation
This quote highlights the distractions and non-work-related interruptions that impede productivity in the workplace.
W. Edwards Deming emphasizes the challenges faced by the average American worker, who experiences numerous interruptions throughout their workday. A staggering seventy percent of these interruptions are irrelevant to their actual jobs, suggesting that the work environment can often be chaotic and fragmented, ultimately affecting overall productivity and job satisfaction.
In practice
In a seminar on workplace efficiency, a speaker could use this quote to illustrate the importance of minimizing distractions.
Competition should not be for a share of the market-but to expand the market.
The job can't be finished only improved to please the customer.
Don't expect smart people to listen to you without proof.
Quality begins with the intent, which is fixed by management.
Learn the basics of analytics and people will love you. If you don't have time to learn, hire someone.
Just because you can measure everything doesn't mean that you should.
I find that through the sad times, work is what made my continuing, not breaking down, possible. In work, I was always someone else and I subconsciously reveled in that.
Bring your whole self to work. I don't believe we have a professional self Monday through Friday and a real self the rest of the time. It is all professional and it is all personal.
Our jobs determine to a large extent what our lives are like. Is what you do for a living making you ill? Does it keep you from becoming a more fully realized person? Do you feel ashamed of what you have to do at work? All too often, the answer to such questions is yes. Yet it does not have to be like that. Work can be one of the most joyful, most fulfilling aspects of life. Whether it will be or not depends on the actions we collectively take.
I get to go to work and come home with something interesting or enriching or astonishing.
Finding the right work is like discovering your own soul in the world.
When you start to confuse Freddie Mac, Sallie Mae and Fannie Mae with members of your family, and you remember 2,000 stock symbols but forget the children's birthdays, there's a good chance you've become too wrapped up in your work.
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