I Want to Work For Diddy…

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Believe it or not, one of the shows on my DVR was, until recently, “I want to work for Diddy 2.”

Now, for those of you who don’t know, “Diddy” is Sean Combs, a rapper cum hip-hop industry mogul.

It was on VH1 and it’s kind of like the Apprentice, only I personally like Diddy more than Trump.

Anyway, I thought it would be an interesting cultural exercise to see how an African-American enterprise was run.

But, that’s actually not the point here.

In watching the tasks there, it dawned on me that success, in many cases isn’t about skill or brains.

It comes down to the ability to manage your time effectively.

To say, “hmmm…if everything works perfectly, this job should take 20 minutes. But, I need to plan as if this job will take 1 hour” (or some appropriate buffer).

Over and over, I see people who are overconfident in how quickly something can get done.

I’d rather have less stress and some extra time by being pleasantly surprised.

Growing up, my mom always made me do my essays weeks in advance. It wasn’t about being the guy everyone hated (though I was ;-), it was about having flexibility, avoiding stress, and most importantly, being prepared for the unexpected.

Now, I need to make sure my kids “get” this.