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<\/p>\nMy Great Uncle gave me a small plaque when I was in Junior High with a powerful quote. \u00a0It hung in every place I lived until passing it along to a young man I coached many years later.<\/p>\n
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“The important thing is not to stop questioning!” \u00a0-Albert Einstein<\/p>\n
Being a “why” guy often frustrated my teachers but what my Great Uncle encouraged\u00a0was a healthy curiosity. \u00a0His wisdom has been & remains valuable to me to this day. \u00a0In this spirit, lets discover how one question has led to just the right “thing” when it was needed most!<\/p>\n
“What would have happened if we didn’t do what we did?”<\/p>\n
Early in my career a mentor asked me to ponder & attempt to answer this question. \u00a0The answers seem to function in diverse\u00a0ways but here are three that appear regularly.<\/p>\n
ADVOCACY<\/p>\n
We all like to feel as if our achievements\u00a0are valued by the organization that employs us. Therefore, having a vehicle to display the value of what you do, how much you’ve done & the potential for increasing achievement for your profession is vitally important. \u00a0The overall impression of this data will lead to support your\u00a0efforts. \u00a0Your “good” can be maximized through two means, people or stuff. \u00a0Show them & tie it back to “why” with creativity in your chosen medium to show you & your teams return on investment and awesome impact!<\/p>\n
Unless you work for yourself, the answers won’t always yield something you want the board or boss to know. \u00a0It will, however, identify effectiveness shortcomings inside functions. \u00a0My wife always reminds me to be careful what we look for because we might not find it or maybe we will but then, so what? \u00a0In dissection, you’re bound to find both\u00a0good & bad so the key is to search for aspects that will provide balance & growth. Ask the hard questions & use the rule of 3’s; find what the team does well, what needs work & what isn’t\u00a0their\/your fault. \u00a0In addressing the last portion, Zig Ziglar reminds us mistakes are part of life.\u00a0 Framing issues\u00a0with this in mind keeps everyone “team” focused.\u00a0 When we encourage a making mistakes faster culture, learning happens quicker consistently.\u00a0 What gets measured gets done and it’s always shifting so keep an open & curious mind!<\/p>\n
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DECISIONS<\/p>\n
Most of our decisions we make on a daily\/hourly basis will be wrong but indecision is paralysis; weigh the risks\/benefits & move. \u00a0Leadership is always situational & your style won’t necessarily fit everything\u00a0you’ve been asked to do.\u00a0 Work inside your strengths & delegate your weaknesses.\u00a0 Staff through the strengths of your people so they have opportunities to grow. \u00a0Robert Townsend in “Up the Organization” gives us the 50% rule for\u00a0making assignments; if someone has 50% of what is required to do a job just give it to them with the right resources & in 6 months they will probably have figured it out. \u00a0If not, oh well, they still learned & so did you. \u00a0Don’t treat every problem like an anomaly and after all, regulations guide most aspects. \u00a0Figure out what problems are truly unique & spend time on those.\u00a0 His book is a great no-nonsense resource that holds value to this day!<\/p>\n
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PURPOSE<\/p>\n
W.I.N. = What’s Important Now<\/p>\n
Take care of your people & they’ll take care of the job. \u00a0If you instill a positive organizational culture that encourages everyone to focus on W.I.N. everything will move in the right direction. \u00a0Figure out the 1 or 2 things you can contribute & stay in your power position. \u00a0Your example encourages\u00a0others to find theirs as well. \u00a0To know yourself is to become more effective with your talents toward any enterprise. \u00a0The legendary Hall of Fame NFL Coach, George Allen, kept this quote on his desk during his tenure as a reminder to remain steadfast toward\u00a0purposeful effort.<\/p>\n
“Is what I am doing or about to do getting us closer to our objective?\u00a0 \u00a0Winning!”<\/p>\n
If what you\/others are doing moves the enterprise\u00a0toward its goals then you’ve collectively focused on the opportunities of tomorrow instead of the problems of yesterday.\u00a0 Remember, our success depends on how effective we are at creating an environment for others to be successful.\u00a0 Encourage, inspire & stay engaged; people will surprise you every time!<\/p>\n
All the best,<\/p>\n