When I was graduating from college with my electrical engineering degree, the last class I had to take was a technical writing course. I was taking it as a correspondence course because I thought that would be more convenient. This was back in the day when you had to literally mail it in.

Unfortunately, I learned more than just how to present technical information. Because as a fluttery 22-year-old interested in a lot of things that weren’t technical writing, I delayed reading the instructions for how the course was managed.

It was only after I submitted the first assignment that I read the details – the first assignment was due within six weeks of starting the course. Once you made that deadline, you had ample time to finish the rest of the course.

But if you didn’t make the deadline for the first assignment, they dropped you from the course and kept the tuition money. I didn’t submit my first assignment until three months after the course started. Doh! That’s when I discovered that I had to pay again to take the course.

In many ways, it was the capstone lesson of my university career. Broadly speaking, learning not to wait too long to ask the questions if you need more info. Because waiting til the night before a project is due just makes it clear you haven’t done anything. Sequence matters.

It’s funny how often this lesson applies to my life 30 years later.

At work

One of the key leadership skills I’ve discovered is parsing the group to-do before my to-do. This is to say, doing the work to hand out assignments to the team so that they have plenty time to do it. This sometimes feels disruptive to me when I just want to dig in and get things done.

But it feels like many of us have worked for leaders that can’t sequence properly. It creates a pretty crazy working environment where it’s hard to do our best, right? Sequence matters.

In family

I like to complain about kids socks. They get taken off and stuffed everywhere – in between couch cushions, in backpacks, the car, and I even have some in my purse. So that when I go to wash the socks, often I don’t have both in the load. You can see where this is going…it’s a pain to sort socks.

But when I tell my kids to get their shoes and socks on, it’s important to have socks at the ready – even if it’s a pair that doesn’t match. I’ve learned the hard way, the socks are the blocker. Sequence matters.

[An unrelated aside: The other day I was on with an AT&T customer service rep named Walter when my kids were heading out the door. I yelled, “do you have your socks on?” and then had to apologize, “Sorry Walter, not you. I was talking to my kids.” Walter laughed and told me that he had to check but he did have socks on.”]

Writing

You have to start writing something before you can revise it. Simple, right? I wonder then why I spend so much time revising things in my head before I have even gotten a draft down on paper. Sequence matters.

Conclusion

One last story about sequence and my college degree. I re-registered and managed to finish all the assignments for the technical writing course. But before I got my final grade and thus was able to graduate with my BSEE, I applied for a job and said I’d graduated.

When my soon-to-be-boss checked my references, he found I hadn’t graduated. Ah yes, close enough only applies to horseshoes and hand grenades. Sequence matters. Fortunately, I still got the job.

You can find me on Instagram and Twitter @wynneleon

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(featured photo from Pexels)