STRATEGY CENTRAL

Makes you think…doesn't it?  What could you do tonight and tomorrow to prepare for what you cannot predict?  According to productivity guru David Allen, "the best way to be ready for the unknown is to deal with that which is
very known—the current incomplete, loose ends of your life."  Which brings me to my own life…my own desk…my own inbox.

If you've never worked your way through Allen's Getting Things Done : The Art of Stress-Free Productivity, you may need to add that book to your must reads.  And if you want to prepare for what you cannot predict…you may need to implement what he teaches!

Don’t know if you’ve caught this yet, but there’s an interesting and FREE podcast of the sessions from the recent Personal Branding Summit.  Some really good stuff on here.  I listened to Phil Gerbyshak’s talk this morning.  Very helpful.  If you’re in the relationship business (and most of us are) you need to hear what he’s talking about.  You can download his talk right here.

Got a tip today about a new weekly blog post that Marshall Goldsmith is doing over at Harvard Business Online.  Ask the Coach will feature Goldsmith’s answers to reader’s questions.  Looks like a good one to subscribe to!

I’ve been thinking about the process of getting to there (my way of talking about vision or the preferred future).  In the last two weeks I’ve been wrestling with the idea of where am I really; aware that without an accurate understanding of the present my journey to the preferred future will be tougher (if not impossible).

Wrestling the present includes not only untangling false assumptions but also identifying the truth.  What could that be?  Your strengths, assets, reputation, capabilities, personality…all the things that add up to you.  This is helpful whether you’re talking about your organization or you personally.  Either way, clarity on the present must precede any planning to reach the preferred future.

An important step in the process is some kind of 360 degree review, feedback from "subordinates, peers, and managers in the organizational hierarchy".  Ever gotten that kind of feedback?  What format have you used?
 

Yesterday I was working on what is an important idea: Do you know where you are…really.  And it is really important.  Earlier this year I wrote about getting from here to there, kind of using the metaphor of having a destination in mind when you enter the mall.  You stop at the Directions sign at the entrance, find the little star that says "you are here", and then figure out how to get where you’re going.  So far, so good.  Only one problem.  What if you’re looking at the map and the star is in the wrong place?  Or if you’re looking at a little red star that some kid stuck there as a prank?  How’s it going to work out?

The problem we’re all dealing with has to do with how accurate our understanding is of where we are really.  And by that I mean what is true about the things going on in your life.  All of us have things that inform how well we do at what we’re trying to do, how we get along with people, how well we stay focused on the task, how well we communicate, etc.  It’s very difficult to actually know where you are.

So…how do you figure it out?  I think there are several important pieces.

• You need to do some hard work to personally understand your capabilities.  For example, you might work your way through Now, Discover Your Strengths, by Marcus Buckingham.  That would set you on a good path.  You might take an inventory like  the Myers-Briggs or a DISC Assessment.  You might just begin to do some thoughtful reading, such as Steve Roesler’s Thinking About a Mid-Career Change?  Work in this area will help you begin to understand your wiring.
• You also need to take advantage of the input of people who know you well.  Feedback from this group is very important.  In fact, without it you’re much more likely to think you actually understand where the red star is.  And be wrong.

So, how do you activate the second step?  Tomorrow.  Come back tomorrow.

Here’s the question: Do you know where you are…really?  I’ve been thinking about this for the last week or so.  Here’s the thing.  Unless you are able to figure out where you really are, you’ll never really have a chance of making it to where you could get.  Ever.  Without a clear understanding of where you are (what’s true about your life, your current situation, what your true capabilities are, etc.) you’ll have no way of understanding the degree of difficulty getting to where you want to go.  You’ll have no idea what strategies will really be required to move you in that direction or keep you on that path.  It just won’t happen.

So here’s the question: Do you know where you are…really?

Tomorrow I’ll talk about what I’m doing to figure out where I am really.  Come on back.

If you’re around me for any time at all you’ll find out that I love to learn from all fields.  If you look at my library, it’ll jump out right away.  I really believe that if you’re not reading broadly…and especially if you’re not reading and listening in the business/leadership sector…you’re toast.  If you’re not taking a look at 800-CEO-READ, Seth Godin, Guy Kawasaki and Mavericks at Work (among many others)…you’re just missing out.

These blogs…and there are a lot of others…are a regular source of ideas, new books, podcasts, and more that are direct connections to what’s coming (or what’s already here).  Like this talk by Randy Pausch a professor at Carnegie Mellon,
known for his sabbatical work at Disney, creation of the program Alice
and work with Google, was one of the recent lecturers at CM. The "last"
part of the lecture is unique for Randy as he is fighting a deadly
pancreatic cancer (this is the intro from 800-CEO-READ).

Let me say it this way…if we don’t listen to what’s happening in the world, how can we feel like we have anything to say?  Really.  Want to play?  You can start right here.  

What are your strengths?  What are you really created to do?  What do you do really well?  All of these are very relevant questions.  In many ways these are the questions that determine the satisfaction level of your life.  Why?  Because if you don’t know the answers to the questions you can be sure that you only have a chance at satisfaction…and it’s a slim chance.  You can be sure that if you find satisfaction in your life it will be by accident.

On the other hand, if you know the answers to the questions you have a good chance at finding satisfaction.  It’s still not a given…because you will need to proactively move in the direction of doing something that fits who you are.  But, you will have a much higher probability of finding satisfaction.

So the question is, "how will you zero in on how you’re really wired?"  You might read Now, Discover Your Strengths, by Marcus Buckingham.  That would set you on a good path.  You might take an inventory like  the Myers-Briggs or a DISC Assessment.  You might just begin to do some thoughtful reading, such as Steve Roesler’s Thinking About a Mid-Career Change?

I’m always thinking this way so two recent blog posts that have gotten me thinking have been Roesler’s What’s Your Personal Design Talent and David Armano’s Are You a Synthesizer?

There really are lots of ways to take steps in the direction of figuring out how you’re wired AND THEN beginning to move in that direction.  What have you found that really made a difference?

Questions are at the heart of really great thinking.  We have a tendency to believe that answers are at the heart…but the truth is that questions determine so much.  Ask the right questions and you find the right answers.  Ask the wrong questions and you end up with answers that are either irrelevant or insignificant.

Peter Drucker was a master framer of questions.  In fact, that may be his most significant contribution.  Determining the right questions what his gift to all of us.  Three of his best known questions were, "What business are you in?"  "Who is your customer?"  And, "What will you call success?"  You could easily spend a day or even a week thinking through the answers to those questions for your own organization.  That would be time really well spent.

Another of his great question sets concerned the required thinking about our individual contributions.  Here are his questions for each of us (and for every member of your team):

• What is your task?
• What should it be? (This should be based on The 5 Keys to Making Your Unique Contribution)
• What should you be expected to contribute?
• What hampers you in doing your task and should be eliminated?

Think about the effect this little exercise would have on your productivity.  On your impact.  There’s a lot in these 4 simple questions.  Not easy questions.  Simple.  Wouldn’t they lead somewhere really good?  Wouldn’t they lead somewhere great for your whole team?

As helpful as these questions are, I love Drucker’s summary statement: "The how comes only after the what has been answered (The Daily Drucker, May 24)."  How many of us spend most of our time thinking about how and almost nothing on what?

Take the pebble from my hand…grasshopper.

One of the most helpful and challenging books that I’ve wrestled with in the last couple years is David Allen’s Getting Things Done : The Art of Stress-Free Productivity.  Potentially transformational.  Difficult to apply.  Worth every moment of effort.

One of the best advocates of GTD is 43 Folders Merlin Mann.  Great stuff on a regular basis.  He did a talk at Google in the last few days.  Check this video out if you’re ready to take a step in the direction of organizational health: