Those two words “Know” and “Apply” are simple to understand. That’s why we overlook them looking for sophisticated secrets to success and achieve. However, the truth is that as much as you keep your mission in life simple as much as you enjoy the journey. And as much as you enjoy the journey, as much as you keep on moving forward and exploring. Let’s apply these simple but profound concepts to maintenance.
Know & Apply, how they are linked to our mission?
So let’s start by our mission. Mission as a word has some contradicting meanings based on the context were we use it. One of the primitive meanings of the word mission is any important task or duty that is assigned, allotted, or self-imposed. This means that when you finish this mission or task, you will move to the next one. Actually, we can’t use the word tasks as a synonym of mission. Because, the word mission carries the sensation of something important, big or sacred. While tasks carries the sensation of something that we we usually do and can vary in its difficulty or importance.
On the other hand, if we speak about the the mission of the workplace then we speak about why the business exists and its core values. And, we set this business mission once in the life time of the business. It remains there as long as the business exists. The business vision on how we approach this mission varies based on the variations in the internal or external business environment. So mission is this context is not changing during the business life time. We covered this deeply in our training on Udemy: “Secrets of Building a Maintenance Program“
Whether you consider your current mission as an endeavor that is having an end or an ever lasting one, in both cases your move forward to achieve a target or to align with it. Basically we can’t achieve what we don’t know. Moreover, we can’t move forward without knowing where we are now, what are the available next steps and, which one will take us closer to this target. After we know, we shall remain in the same position unless we apply what we know. And, we apply what will take us to the next step we selected.
How are “know” & “apply” linked to the future of maintenance?
Let’s first understand what is the type of mission we have in maintenance. Maintenance has an overarching mission that represent its values. The overarching mission of maintenance simply states that: “Restoring and keeping asset’s good productive and safe conditions”. This mission statement never changes at any time or in any industry. However maintenance vision to reach or to align with this mission varies with time. The vision varies based on the internal and external business environmental condition.
We can explain vision simply as the outlines to remain the way maintenance has presented itself to be. In effect, maintenance mission is its identity, and the vision is its future journey to accomplishing its mission. As we said the journey to the overarching mission is linked tightly to the current internal and external business environmental condition.
Practically linking Knowing & Applying to Maintenance
The journey has different stops. Each one of them mark a temporary mission. And, they need to be specific. Examples of theses missions can be increasing maintenance efficiency through RCM. RCM is the Reliability Centered Maintenance process. We use RCM to select efficient maintenance tasks. Another example can be a mission to apply a new maintenance technology to assist a maintenance tactic. So we might have adopted condition based maintenance using vibration monitoring. But, we need to have extra time between failure detection and expected failure to plan our tasks. So we decide to implement Ultrasound measurement which can also support with leakage detection.
The Ultrasound measurement moves our detection to an earlier stage on the PF curve. You can understand the PF curve in more details if you return to this chat: A hidden maintenance gem, the P-F curve
This new mission on the journey to align with the maintenance overarching mission can never come true unless we know about Ultrasound measurement. Then we enhance this knowing by analyzing if we can implement it. Later on, we asses the ROI of this investment. ROI is simple the study in monetary value the returns that this investment will bring. This implicitly show that we know ROI and we applied it to a live scenario. So, you can see that the know & apply propels us forward on our journey.
What if we know but we don’t apply?
There is an earlier question that we need to answer; Why we know but we don’t apply?
Usually the answer to this question is linked to a set of negative perceptions that might exist together or in groups. The first and the top one is the fear. The fear from proposing. This means that we have a perception that we may be attacked in one way or the other if we propose something new or different. The base of this fear stems from considering that this proposal represents me. So if any one reject it or attack it, then I am rejected or attacked. Also, thinking that there is only one way of doing things and if there is a rejection then the project or the proposal is dead. It might need a tweak or more study. Just if you were attentive to the envelope of the rejection, and didn’t escape the discussion quickly, you can reach a better conclusion.
Also, sometimes this rejection to apply is enveloped in our disbelieve of our own discovery. Or, it may be enveloped, in our believe that the result is usually a failure. Those both believes, sometimes are just illusions from our mind in order to protect us from the unknown.
On the other side lies the disengagement. Yes you know and you have an idea or a proposal but you don’t have the enthusiasm to propose it. Inherently, you don’t have the true willing to take the subject a step forward. Either you have some believe that you don’t deserve this step forward. This means that you are disengaged from your self and your reality . Or, you believe that the team or the workplace doesn’t deserve this brilliant idea. Instead of blaming and claiming who is responsible for this, the bottom line is that you are not working for your highest good. And that’s a new story to tell.
In Conclusion,
When you seek to know and then you are curious and excited to apply what you had come up to, then you are propelling your life forward. Just then, You will be aligned with your life mission. Life and work are inseparable and so what applies for life, applies for work. Seeking to know and apply how to move forward and propel your career and work place toward their brightest future will give your life and work their true meaning.
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