Episode 746 - Sharpening

In this episode of Monday Morning Mojo, Phil explores the "danger of the dull blade": the gradual, often unnoticed decline in our professional efficiency and systems. Drawing from simple analogies of a fresh razor and a sharpened chainsaw, Phil illustrates how high performers often fall into the trap of "pushing through" inefficiency because their tools and processes are still technically working. He challenges listeners to shift from a reactive "repair" mindset to a proactive "sharpening" routine, reminding us that the time spent on maintenance isn't a distraction from the work, but it is what makes the work possible.

Resources:

Please send Comments, Questions, and Feedback to: mojo@cannonfinancial.com

Please send First Friday Feedback Submissions to: mojo@cannonfinancial.com

Transcript

Top performers in every field surround themselves with those who inspire them, who seek to build them up, and who push them to reach beyond their current limits. I am Phil Buchanan, executive chairman of Cannon Financial Institute. I designed Monday Morning Mojo to provide you with a weekly spark, a push and motivational insight to live your best life. Thanks for joining. 

Good Monday morning. Is Phil here with episode 746 of Monday Morning Mojo. This morning I changed the razor blade in my shaver. Now, there's nothing dramatic about that. It's no big event. Just simple routine task. Something I probably should have done a couple of days ago after changing the blade, the moment I started shaving, I stopped because the difference was astonishing.

The old blade hadn't suddenly gone dull. It didn't fail overnight. It had worn down slowly. So gradually had it worn down that I really hadn't even noticed. But little by Little Shave by Shave, uh, simply adjusted my process. I got used to it pulling a little bit more, taking a few extra passes, maybe working a lot harder, and it was really necessary.

And because it was still. Working. I had not changed the blade. Ironically, the same thing happened recently while I was using my chainsaw at my farm. I could tell the chain needed sharpening, but it was still cutting. Okay? So I delayed it. I finished the job that I was on and moved on to the next task. But later that day, I finally took the time to sharpen the chain.

The next day, once again, I was amazed. The saw moved through the logs faster, cleaner, and with far less effort. What had felt like hard work the day before suddenly felt smooth and efficient. The difference was not subtle. It was undeniable. Now both of these events have gotten me to thinking a lot about how this applies to our professional lives.

The dulling of the blades of our professional lives tend to happen more often than we realize, and. These dulling, these declines, they don't happen all at once. They don't announce themselves. They don't trigger alarms or flashing warning light. Instead, things show up quietly, maybe through inefficiencies that we normalize, friction, that we accept, processes we tolerate, because technically, quote unquote, they are still working.

We tell ourselves it's, it's fine. It, it's good enough. Now's not the time to take time away from the busyness of our day. I mean, if it's working fine, why mess with it? But it's that mindset. While it is comfortable, it's that mindset that's truly limiting. And over time, it can actually prove to be detrimental.

The reason it becomes detrimental is when tools dull slowly. We simply adapt. When processes become inefficiency, we just simply compensate. When systems age, we work around them and eventually we forget what sharp and crisp feel like. And in business, this shows up everywhere. It's the meeting structure that takes an hour when it should take 20 minutes.

It's the approval process that adds steps. No one questions anymore. It's the technology you've outgrown, but you keep using it because switching feels inefficient. I would have to learn a new way. The role descriptions that no longer match reality, the habits that once served us well, but now quietly drain energy and momentum.

Now again, none of these things break all at once. They just simply wear down gradually. And here's the dangerous part, we often don't realize diminish capacity until something goes wrong. Until a client gets frustrated, until a team member burns out, until a competitor moves faster, until an opportunity slips through our fingers at that point, we're not sharpening, we're doing a tear down and repairing.

Sharpening is proactive. Tearing down and repairing is reactive. The best operators, the best leaders, the best organizations I know don't wait for failure to force evaluation. They build in scheduled moments of maintenance. They step back from the task at hand and ask better questions. What's harder than it should be right now?

Where are we compensating instead of improving? What systems are we working around? Instead of fixing what tools once fit perfectly but no longer do so these leaders understand something critical. Stopping to sharpen doesn't slow progress. It actually accelerates it. I once heard a uh, story. That a lumberjack was asked, if you had three hours to cut down a tree, how would you spend that time?

And he responded. I would spend two hours sharpening the ax and an hour cutting the tree. Taking time for evaluation may feel a bit unproductive in the moment. Just like sharpening a chain feels slower than powering through. One more cut. But the payoff for that sharpening tends to show up immediately in compounds over time, sharper tools reduce effort, clearer processes increase speed, better systems create capacity, and capacity is what positions us for that next opportunity.

The irony is that people most resistant to maintenance are often the most capable. High performers have the ability to adapt, to adjust. They simply push through. They find ways to make dull tools work, but resiliency can mask inefficiency. And over time, that's exactly when strength becomes a liability.

So here's the invitation. Every so often intentionally and on the calendar, step back, pause the cutting, put the tool down, sharpen the blade, evaluate the systems you rely upon every day. Question the processes that feel familiar but are heavy. Look at your business, your team, your own habits with fresh eyes.

Because quote unquote, working fine isn't the goal effective, efficient, and sharp. That's the goal. And just like that new razor blade, just like that sharpened chain, you'll be surprised at how much better you work feels when everything is truly sharp again. 

Monday Morning Mojo is a production of Cannon Financial Institute, executive producer of Monday Morning Mojo is Sarah Jones. Editing and mixing is done by Danny Brunner. Until next time, I'm Phil Buchanan reminding you to be a force for good. Have a great week and thanks for being part of the Mojo community.