The smart leaders keep it simple.
I am sitting at my dining room table; it’s a beautiful day in Los Angeles. Sunshine pours through the windows, and I can see the Hollywood sign 25 miles or so in the distance. The scene makes me introspective, inviting me to think:
• How will I motivate myself this year?
• What are my real priorities?
• Am I serving my clients?
• Am I raising the bar for my staff by developing and engaging with them?
• How can I continue to grow as a professional, as a Father, as a Husband?
I am tempted to put these thoughts aside and get to work because, like most of us, I rarely allow myself the luxury of thinking when there is so much to do.
Before I act on the impulse to stop thinking and start doing, I hear the voice of the man from the Dos Equis commercials. “I don’t often take time to think, but when I do, I turn to Stephen Covey.” More accurately, Stephen Covey’s diabolically simple question:
“If there was one thing you did consistently and well that you KNOW would have a positive impact on your leadership capabilities and professional life, what would it be?
It is a simple question with profound implications. Now, I invite you to take one minute and sincerely reflect on what your answer to this question would be.
Now, write it down.
Ask yourself: Is what I wrote down urgent? Is there a clear and pressing deadline to do this? Will my whole house of cards fall if I don’t do this today or even this week? 99.9% of you will say no, it is not an urgent matter.
Why is this important?
The question asks you to list something you KNOW will have a positive impact. Simple enough. The answer to it is usually achievable with a bit of effort. OK. So, Steven Covey’s follow-up question is to my significant discomfort, “So why don’t you do it?”
Ouch, that physically hurt. Did I just write down something that I know for a fact, if I did consistently and well, would be clearly beneficial to my professional life and myself? Did I then just have it casually tossed in my face by the always-pleasant Mr. Covey that it likely wouldn’t get done because it lacked urgency? Answer: yes.
Doesn’t he understand how busy I am? Doesn’t he know that often I don’t want to think but am always willing to do? In fact, I often long for the client emergency, the looming crisis, the phone call that forces my hand into action. The situations that allow me not to think and plan but merely react to.
Unfortunately, I think Mr. Covey understood this very well…he just didn’t care. He understood that daily doing is often the enemy of daily growing. Cue the old saying: “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.”
When we ask ourselves these questions, we are asking to separate the urgent from the important. To acknowledge that we can only achieve real personal and professional growth if we stop, consider this and other simple questions, reflect on our answers, and then act. We can then place these goals into actionable steps. Remember St Exupery’s statement that “A goal without a plan is just a wish.” This plan will be continuously interrupted but can always be gotten back to…a North Star or a personal growth compass if you will.
Ask the question. First, as it is written, then substitute the word’s personal life for professional life. The answers will inform your development goals going forward.
One more thing: What would be the upside to having the people who report to you write up their own for you to review and discuss…yes, uh huh, exactly.
Now on to creating the plan…Let me know if I can help.
Kevin Catlin – Insight Strategies, Inc.
