Tom Cruise taught me a powerful lesson about productivity that still shapes how I work.
This article is part of our Being Human Series — reflections on empathy, values, and how we are experienced by others at work.
In the 90s I worked as VP Operations of Contact Center & Distribution Operations in Los Angeles
Customers would phone in or mail in their orders to us and we’d package them up and ship them out.
All in the days before e-commerce was even a term.
We’d fulfill everything from compact discs through to gardening tools and children’s toys.
One outsourcing company I worked for in Los Angeles had a big Client base across the entertainment industry.
Our facilities in Burbank — sited near many of the big studios — included multiple warehouses, a fifty seat Contact Center and administrative offices.
Before any big new movie was released, the film studios would design and then arrange for us to send out promotional materials to movie theaters around the country.
We would store, assemble, package and ship materials like posters, life-sized cut-outs and backdrops, and promotional items for VIP receptions, movie-goer contests, and giveaways.
I remember for one movie release about kids who became spies, we had to assemble a complete ‘Spy Briefcase’ with binoculars, a fingerprint dusting kit and a play along game that followed the plot of the movie.
In the 90s, Tom Cruise was everywhere
Our company won the Tom Cruise Fan Club account which was a big deal.
So when Tom Cruise fans wrote or called in to our Customer Care Center and ask for souvenirs, our Distribution Employees in the warehouse would ‘pick and pack’ all the necessary items for a Fan Club kit and mail it out.
And they all wore white gloves. That level of detail was a defining part of our service culture.
Our CEO was known for her fanatical attention to detail – and expected that no Fan would ever receive an autographed Tom Cruise photo with a big oily smudge on it.
If that happened – typically picked up through a complaint made to the Contact Center – we would all hear about it.
That level of focus on even the smallest of details was an important part of our working culture. And I’m grateful for having been grounded in such a culture.
Because – as our CEO regularly reminded us – that was why Clients like Disney, HBO and Paramount had chosen us in the first place.
Where’s the Beef? A CX Lesson in Value
I Was Assigned the Tom Cruise Fan Club Account
The Tom Cruise Fan Club project was the first Distribution Center program I was assigned to lead shortly after I joined the company.
So I was grateful when another VP in the company, Sandra, took the time to teach me the ropes on how to set up and run an efficient ‘pick and pack’ operation.
A pick and pack operation involves deciding how to formally stage all the required items that were picked and then packed into any particular kit.
With an obvious eye to efficiency as well.
Working with three of our top Distribution Employees we studied where to position the materials and how people moved in and around the staging area.
And using stopwatches and time & motion studies, we estimated how much time was spent ‘per kit’.
My background in Finance was useful as I would convert our learnings into a ‘Cost per Kit’ figure for billing.
And as we were designing the Tom Cruise pick and pack process, Sandra gave me a memorable piece of advice.
She said –
“Dan – what I am about to tell you might seem obvious…
But one of the keys to success in the pick and pack process is to avoid touching the same thing twice when you don’t have to.
Because if you have to touch the same thing twice, it typically means that your process isn’t as efficient as it could be.”
That Tom Cruise productivity lesson has stayed with me ever since.
I still apply Sandra’s productivity lesson in my daily work
Perhaps like many of you, I can still fall into the multitasking trap at times.
For example, if I try to watch a Ted Talk and skim a LinkedIn article at the same time – I end up failing at both.
Bouncing back and forth between the video and the article is – using Sandra’s words – touching something more than once.
Instead, I’ve learned to watch the video and finish it – tick.
Then I read the article and finish it – tick.
I’ve found that when I commit to completing one thing at a time – whether it’s preparing training materials or answering emails – I not only finish faster but with higher quality.
Multitasking is not productive
We often hear people boast about their ability to juggle multiple tasks.
Take this common scenario: you’re drafting an email when a phone notification pops up.
You pause the email, check the notification, and then return to your email. Only to realize you’ve lost your train of thought.
In essence, you’ve touched that task multiple times, wasting time and focus.
Instead, imagine completing the email and then giving your full attention to the notification.
By focusing on one thing at a time, you not only finish faster but also produce better results.
And your brain won’t go through the exhaustion that’s created when you are ‘switching’ between unrelated tasks.
Interruptions Are Inevitable
Obviously if a Client calls, I’ll pause whatever I’m doing and prioritize the conversation.
When the call ends, I return to my original task with intention.
It’s not about avoiding every distraction but choosing when and where to shift my focus.
I Try Not to Touch the Same Thing Twice
Sandra’s advice about not touching the same thing twice applies perfectly to the digital world we live in today.
Each time we interrupt ourselves – whether it’s to check a notification or switch between tasks – we “pick up and put down” our focus unnecessarily.
Just like in an inefficient pick and pack process.
Productivity doesn’t have to be complicated; sometimes, it’s as simple as finishing what you start.
If you’d like to get better at writing, a great place to start is your email.
Thank You for Reading
I regularly share stories, strategies, and insights from our work across Contact Centers, Customer Service, and Customer Experience. If this resonates, I’d love to stay connected.
You can drop me a line anytime, or subscribe via our website.
Daniel Ord
[email protected]
www.omnitouchinternational.com
