We are most committed to a course of action when we have some “skin in the game.” We get into the game in a number of ways. One is by investing time and money. Public announcements of our goals and intentions are another significant way of cementing commitment. It is hard for us to walk away from a plan once we have told others. I can vouch for this personally. The night before my wedding, I could not sleep a wink. I was wondering whether I was even capable of seeing glaring evidence of folly while the ball was rolling so vigorously toward our wedding day. As guests made travel plans, the word spread more broadly, and gifts began to arrive, the snowball took control. Even as my thirtieth anniversary approaches, I remember vividly that lesson about the power our prior decisions, public statements, and invested time and money have over our thoughts and options.
When my younger daughter was two, there was no rain in Minnesota. The grass was crunchy. Leaves fell prematurely. When it finally rained, she screamed in horror. But that isn’t the point of my story. Our neighbors were good irrigators. They had always watered their lawns diligently and did their best, even after the drought began and within the limits of the watering restrictions, to keep their yards beautiful. We simply couldn’t justify using a precious resource like fresh water just for green grass under any conditions. When the drought began, our lawn turned brown and crunchy. Eventually, our neighbors’ lawns turned brown too.
We all make mistakes. Little ones, big ones. And for many, the tendency is to replay them in our heads, especially when we should be sleeping. While this may be quite natural, it is destructive. In many cases, we haven’t even done anything wrong. We just wish we had done something differently. So we relive it and suffer again and again. You can’t undo what is done. You are only human. But you can learn from it. What went wrong? What about your attitude, motivation, attention, skill, or knowledge caused you to do what you wish you had not done? Get some help sorting this out if you need to. Figure out what you can learn from the situation so that next time will be better.
I was in a meeting this week that accomplished very little and left all parties feeling frustrated. It is sad because the only reasons to have a meeting are to get better results, save time, and build better relationships. No one was really to blame. The organizer knew what she wanted to accomplish and the attendees were genuinely trying to be helpful. So what went wrong? In short, the roadmap to the desired destination was fundamentally flawed. The meeting began with the identification of a problem – low attendance at the organization’s events. After introducing the problem, the meeting organizer wanted feedback on a proposed solution.
When I get an idea for an article, I jot it down, one per page, on one of the many 5×7 tablets strewn about my office, house, and car before it gets squeezed out of my brain by the next thought. Thus, I have a large stack of 5×7 papers in my file cabinet ready to peruse when I have time to write. Today’s pick: a one-word sheet. A powerful word. One-wordsheets are rare and usually met with “huh?” and the recycling bin. Not today.“Focus” needs no supporting cast. Focus lets us: See clearly Clarify our thoughts, objectives, and questions Tune out distractions
CEO or last bottle washer, you will perform your best and be happiest if you are captain of your own ship! Master of your fate! This is true for everyone, at every level of your company. Granted, some people’s ships are bigger than others but in every case, we are all at our best – proudest, most motivated, happiest, and most successful – when captain of our own ship – when we know what we are about and can control our fate. But you can’t be captain if you don’t know you have “a ship” and understand what constitutes “your ship.” And you don’t want to be an organization of pirates, even well intentioned pirates, who commandeer ships on whim.
The year is nearly half over. How are you doing? Now is a good time to take stock of your priorities, progress, and neglected initiatives. Have beginning-of-the-year “priorities” lost their sheen? If so, why? What assumptions drove them to the top of the list and are those assumptions still valid? If those “priorities” aren’t really important, take them off the list explicitly to eliminate guilt, confusion, and misdirected investments of time and money. Are there important objectives that have been neglected? If so, why? If under-supported, why are they getting insufficient attention and resources? With what are they competing for resources? Who owns them? Are those owners committed to them? How are those owners being held accountable? Has the list of priorities grown? If there are too many priorities there are no priorities. You can’t only add to the list unless real progress is shortening the list just as fast. If the list has grown, cut it now. Turn attention to the top priority or two across the board and ensure some real progress. Don’t allow additions to the list without completing or removing something.
We have a soap dispenser built into our kitchen sink and it never runs out of soap. Of course it is my husband who fills it along with a myriad other things that are his wont. Have I have ever acknowledged this and thanked him? Do you think I should make a point of doing so? I hope you said ‘yes’ to the latter, and now that I have written about it, I will likely mention it and thank him this evening. It is one of many things he does that keeps things running smoothly. And while he knows I appreciate him in general, the point is that there is still value in expressing appreciation for specific little things that make my life easier.
The word of the day is “mugwump.” According to Dictionary.com, it means “a person who is unable to make up his or her mind on an issue, esp. in politics; a person who is neutral on a controversial issue.” By the sound of mugwump, I wouldn’t want to be one. But as someone who is an expert at helping people make decisions, I know that people who struggle with a decision are suffering from one or more of three possibilities: They have insufficient information They have given too little attention to the objectives of the decision and are likely focused on too few immediately proffered options They are not assessing the risk of the options
A clear and compelling strategy: Is focused, competitive, and profitable Builds unique capabilities to provide distinctive value Leads to smart, aligned daily decisions throughout the organization Leaves you feeling confident about the future of your company A clear and compelling strategy is not: A plan, especially not a thick one that collects dust An event, like your annual physical, to endure and check off the list A mom-and-apple-pie statement on a plastic card Set in stone Worth anything unless it is implemented Need help charting a strong future? Creating a shared vision? Let’s talk. Call us today at 800-527-0087.