To be honest, I’m a bit surprised it’s Monday the FIFTH! I feel behind already.
Back in early December, I scribbled down a bullet list of tasks I was going to get done in the “down-time” of Christmas and New Year’s weeks. As it turned out, the past two weeks ended up busier than I expected, and I hoarded any down time for reading – NOT journaling about 2008, not cleaning out old files, not updating my LinkedIn profile, and NOT setting goals for ’09.
So I come into this fifth day of the new year definitely feeling five days behind. I think I’ll read some more . . . .
What are your plans for the new year? How will you be as intentional as possible in defining this year, as opposed to passively letting the year define you?
Here are a few thoughts for you if you’re feeling the nudge to put some stakes in the ground.
Gaps and Bridges. Three key questions:
a) What is my present reality today?
b) What is my desired reality tomorrow?
c) What are the bridges to close the gap between “a” and “b?”
These are the basic blocking and tackling exercises that I use every day with my Leaders . . . but I often forget to apply them to myself. One aspect of my present reality is that I keep talking about writing a book. My future desired reality is that I have a finished book that does the talking. One of the bridges to close the gap is sitting for thirty minutes at the beginning of every day and . . . writing.
Simplicity. I have a lot of gaps I’d like to close in my life. The reality I have discovered is that I can realistically, whole-heartedly commit to only one or two game-changing gaps at a time. Less is more. If I have a long list, I simply rank them by priority and focus on completing #1 and maybe #2 before going on to #’s 3 and 4.
Creativity. Why are some of the items on my ’09 list the same as my ’08 list (I was supposed to have that first book draft finished last September!)? There can be a lot of reasons for this – my most common, and real, excuse is that I don’t know “how.” I have the desire and discipline, but I just don’t know how to take the next step. This year, I have some new insight from a book given to me by one of my Leaders – Peter Block’s The Answer to How is Yes. It has been a while since a book has engaged me as this one has – evidenced by underlines, scribblings and dog-ears. Block’s premise is that in attempting something new (i.e. bridging a new gap) we typically ask the question, “but how do I do it?” as if there is a prescribed, proven way that I should do something. If I am seeking to simply imitate others, or other companies, then okay, I find the answer and copy them. But in so doing, I stifle my creativity and eliminate the possibility for breakthroughs and game-changers. Instead of asking “how?” or “what works?” we first need to be asking “what really matters?” This book defies a short summary. Read more here and decide if it could be useful to you and your company*.
What really matters to you? Your company? How will you change the way the game is played in 2009?
* – Reading his client list, it appears Block’s work has been of some use to companies like Hewlett Packard, 3M and Coca-Cola.I have a request of you. I would like to reach more Leaders with these writings. If you find them helpful, please forward them to other Leaders and encourage them to subscribe by clicking one of the SUBSCRIBE buttons in the right-hand column of this page.
Also, I appreciate your comments. They provide helpful feedback. You can either reply to be directly or post your comment publicly at the bottom of each blog post.