Accountability & our Family Value – Right Now

I’m sitting in an exec meeting and Kerstin, our Head of Sales, turns to me and says, “I can’t want this more than you do.”

Actual recreated image of my face when she said she couldn’t want it more than I did.

I’m shocked, I’m surprised.. I’m worried.

What does she mean?

It hits me: I have given everything away. Not only have I been outsourcing a task or a project – I have been outsourcing full accountability.. of everything at Threads.

About 10 years ago I read The 4-Hour Workweek and the day after I changed how I worked. I started asking myself: Is this the highest and best use of my time?

My way of thinking became:
a) If a task or project isn’t the best use of my time, or,
b) I’m not good at it, or,
c) someone can do it faster
→ outsource!

When we were starting Threads Linds, Kara, and I were squeezing Threads into the nooks and crannies of other jobs and life. I did as much as I could. I spent hours on a graphics, I spent hours creating Excel docs, I spent hours hand-writing labels to ship jewelry around the country…

As we grew, I brought the 4-Hour workweek mentality with me and began outsourcing. We brought on a graphic designer to take my ideas and make them pretty. We invested in Stamps.com to automate shipping labels (revelation!). The question ever present in my mind: Is this the best use of my time?

The answer: no.
Always: no.

I ended every single day thinking that I hadn’t spent my time in the best place. I left feeling like I hadn’t brought my real value to Threads. I ended my days hoping someone else, some other department, had it handled.

Which led to the moment sitting with my Executive Team being asked if I’m “into” Threads?!

That statement: “I can’t want this more than you do” – transformed my whole relationship with this company that I love. Not only have I taken back the actual ‘doing’ of many projects to get my arms around the details of the company again, but I have regained a sense of pride and ownership to make us grow – at a rapid pace.. right now!

One of my favorite Threads Family Values is: Right Now – The time for action is now. We commit to taking steps toward our collective vision and trusting that our path will appear; we do not wait to be ‘ready’.

One of the things I’m proud of is always being in action…being in motion. Even, and especially when, I learn that it wasn’t the best action to have taken (like outsourcing the entire company!) I’m still proud that I am moving, learning and growing.

There is no joy or progress in ‘figuring it out’.
Do something → learn.
Do something → correct.
Do something → right now!

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