Facing the Organization’s To-Do List

In the face of trying to tackle our organization’s to-do list and our hyper-focus on multitasking in today’s world, we often attempt to do everything at one time. We focus on “how much” vs. “how well.” We think that more is better. We believe that we “should” be able to accomplish many things at one time.

The problem isn’t that we can’t do more, but that the focus on “more” ironically keeps us from accomplishing more. In Franklin-Covey’s The Four Disciplines of Execution (4DX), they state that the more goals a person or team has to achieve, the less focus they have and that many organizations simply have too many competing priorities or initiatives to be truly effective. Consider this from your own experience. How many times have you tried to accomplish a list of things and succeeded in all or most of them? Chances are that you were less focused, spread too thin, froze, lost track, became overwhelmed, or didn’t achieve the results that you were after.

Now consider the depth and complexity of a typical organization’s to-do list and all of the people, resources, time, and energy that are needed to even complete one item successfully. Yet, when we consider only focusing on one or two things, we dwell on what else we won’t get done or that we’re somehow failing. Then, in hindsight, we don’t recognize how our approach to tackle everything ultimately did lead to failure.

By contrast, if we focus on one or two things at a time, we’re more likely to both do them well and see them to completion. Then, as we come away with a greater sense of accomplishment, motivation, and focus, we can fully dive into the next thing on our list.

Fixing the Weakest Link

Given the many items on our to-do list, how do we decide where to focus? Ultimately, we’ll get the greatest leverage by identifying the weakest link.

The weakest link is typically the item that is causing the greatest negative impact. In an organization, areas of significant impact generally connect to key business areas such as quality, productivity, finances, safety, and infrastructure. In our personal lives, they connect to whatever we most value. Once we identify these areas, often through data and metrics, we can focus on the initiative, process, cultural element, or behavior that most impacts the business area.

One organization I worked with struggled with trying to do too many things at one time. Prior to our work together, they tried to implement numerous processes and goals with no success in any one of them. Leadership was focused on so many things that they had no time for accountability and follow-through. Employees were confused and overwhelmed. The organization didn’t stick with anything long enough to get buy-in, traction, or comprehension. In the face of ambiguity, no one really knew what or how to change to achieve the goals (which weren’t even clearly defined, another symptom of being spread too thin). As a result, almost nothing changed except for higher frustration, lower morale, and increased cynicism.

In our work together, I had them pick one approach with two goals around safety and quality and only focus on that for at least six months. This forced them to become clear and focused. They not only defined the goals with measurable outcomes but also created plans with timelines to achieve them. We incorporated change management approaches that included more hands-on engagement from leadership, training, and quality control checks. Previously, when trying to do too much, they didn’t have time to be strategic, thorough, and intentional. Now they did, and the results showed. Within six months, they achieved an increase of over 33% towards their goals.

Even though fixing the weakest link involves focusing on one or two things at a time, we’re much more likely to solve for what’s most important. With those big rocks taken care of, we can then move on to what’s next on our list. Ironically, in the time it takes to fully complete the initial one or two goals and then complete the next one or two goals, we’ll almost certainly achieve more than if we’d tried to focus on four goals at one time.

For an additional tool to help identify the weakest links, check out Lewin’s Force Field Analysis.

Key Questions to Tackle Your Organization’s To-Do List

• What keeps you caught in the trap of trying to do too many things instead of just one or two at a time?
• What are your top values, and where might the biggest gap be in living in alignment with those values?
• In your organization, what data and metrics can help you identify the weakest links?
• What would it look like to focus on depth vs. breadth as you work towards your goals?
• What helps you maintain focus?

While there are many change models such as ADKAR, Kotter’s model, and McKinsey’s 7-S Framework, it can be easy to get so focused on the model that we overlook the fundamental key to change: people. Even then, we can overlook a fundamental key to helping people change: relationships.

Consider a change you’ve made or been part of. Perhaps it was learning a new piece of software, getting a new boss, or following a new rule. Next, think of the people who either mandated the change or helped you implement or adapt to it. Were they people who you trusted, respected, and made you feel cared for? Or, the opposite? Chances are that the change was easier to embrace if you viewed the people behind the change positively and had good relationships with them.

Good relationships are crucial to making change successful. If we believe someone has our best interest at heart, if they genuinely want to see us succeed, and if they know and treat us as a person instead of an object, we’re much more likely to want to change.

I recently met with a work team located in another country that faced resistance for years in trying to implement new programs. It didn’t matter to the recipients how great their programs were, what data they could provide to demonstrate their effectiveness, or how smart the team was. What made the difference was the team making the effort to build relationships, understand their culture, and demonstrate genuine care. Through their continued efforts to build relationships they developed trust, and this trust led to recipients embracing the team’s ideas, programs, and recommendations. It opened a window that would have otherwise remained closed and resulted in both parties working together on opposite sides of the glass.

On the contrary, I also recently witnessed a professional, multi-million dollar consulting firm try to implement process changes on behalf of senior leadership. Their approach was to make some quick assessments, tell people what they should do differently, and implement a “thou-shalt” approach. This approach was mirrored by senior leadership, who just made a few token appearances during implementation. As you might assume, the recipients felt objectified and resisted the change. All they had to do was nod and wait it out for things to return back to normal.

Building relationships takes time, and there is no shortcut. It also has to be genuine and without agenda. For example, waiting until you need something from someone before getting to know them will likely backfire. Instead, we can start getting to know the people who work with, for, and above us. For senior leaders, this means getting out of the office and visiting employees. For managers, it’s things like building coalitions with other managers. For individual contributors, it’s asking leaders for things like informational interviews.

That said, building relationships doesn’t need to involve hours of bearing one’s soul or being best friends with everyone. Learning and using people’s names, smiling when passing people in the hall, asking people for their ideas and recommendations, or a genuine “how are you doing?” can go a long way. And, things like asking questions and listening are always helpful. Then, when it comes time to change, we’re much more likely to say “yes.”

In exploring ways to build relationships that support change, consider the following questions:

• When you reflect on times when you’ve wanted others to change, how did the quality of your relationship affect the outcome?
• What gets in the way of you building relationships with people at work?
• What kinds of change are you wanting to implement, and how can you leverage your relationships to support that change?
• What are some approaches you can use to increase trust and connection with other people, both professionally and personally?

• Relying on one approach such as training, coaching, meetings, or imposing rules as the go-to answer to just about every problem (regardless of the problem)
• Looking for the latest “new and bright shiny object” or trend to solve problems (flavor-of-the-month)
• Focusing on symptoms instead of root causes

When taking such approaches, organizations get caught up in superficial solutions and a neverending fascination with tools. In other words, they focus on how to go about solving a problem instead of determining exactly what they’re solving for. In order to find sustainable solutions, we need to reverse this approach. We need to determine if, in fact, it’s actually a nail or something else like a screw, thumbtack, piece of tape, or block of wood. To do so, we need to emphasize the “what,” not the “how.”

Hammers vs. Nails

Organizational “nails” often get reduced to generalizations, symptoms, or assumptions. For example, a need for leadership development, issues around diversity, or challenges with turnover or production.

As those issues like those are reduced to nails, the organization whips out its go-to hammer and starts whacking away. The hammer could be implementing training, hiring a consultant, or imposing rules and policies.

The same approach can be used when creating new programs or initiatives. People get excited about using the latest trends such as personality assessments like Meyers-Briggs, processes like Lean Six Sigma, or management approaches like “Who Moved My Cheese?” and try to incorporate these “hammers” into organizational training. The hammer then becomes a toy that doesn’t even need a purpose – it’s just fun to swing around. These hammers aren’t necessarily bad – they just not might be the right tool for the job.

Beginning With the End in Mind

The key to creating change is to identify what the “nail” actually is using approaches like research, analysis, and/or dialogue. This helps uncover what it is that we’re trying to solve for. We need to answer questions like:

• Is there really an issue? And, if so, is the issue actually what we think it is or something else?
• What is behind the issue?
• What are people’s challenges in dealing with the issue, and what do they need to solve it?

Asking these questions helps reveal the true nail. For example, instead of leadership development, the “nail” could be about limited access to career development resources. Issues around diversity might actually be about fear of conflict rather than getting more facts or tools through training. Production problems could be related to outdated technology versus people needing to work harder. Through deeper inquiry, we might realize that the nail is actually a staple, screw, or splinter.

Now that we know the “what,” we can figure out the “how.” Instead of relying on our trusty hammer, we can use the staple remover, screwdriver, or pliers to solve the problem more quickly and effectively. The same principle applies when creating programs, training, or initiatives. By knowing what outcomes we want (based on our “nail”), we can incorporate the right approaches.

Expanding Our Toolbox

Knowing the “what” opens up endless possibilities around the “how.” We can use creative, customized, and tailored approaches instead of off-the-shelf or one-size-fits-all solutions. The more tools we have at our disposal, the more options we have to solve the problem.

Organizational “nails” are rarely as straightforward as a screw or a tack, so they typically require multiple tools. Sometimes those tools are used simultaneously, sometimes in sequence, and sometimes they’re all rolled into one. Sometimes we need to invent new tools. The bottom line, however, is that once we know what we’re solving for, we no longer need to rely on or force the hammer. By expanding our toolbox, we create solutions that produce impactful, dynamic, and sustained results.

When emphasizing the “what,” not the “how, some questions to ask might be:

• What are my go-to tools?
• What tempts or distracts me from getting to the “what” and causes me to get sidetracked by the “how”?
• How can I incorporate more tools into my toolbox (or, even better, collaborate and leverage other people’s tools)?
• What indicators tell me that I’ve discovered the true “what” around a given problem?
• What are some current situations in which I’m too focused on the “how” without being clear on the “what”?

I ruled out the radiator because it could have melted the notebook cover (it was pretty hot).

The staircase banister was a few feet farther away from the fountain, and I was worried about someone accidentally knocking it off when using the stairs.

Not liking either option, I tried to balance the phone and notebook on a windowsill above the radiator, but it was too narrow.

After a few more seconds of debate, I paused for a moment: it would take about 30 seconds to fill the water bottle, and hardly anyone ever used those stairs. After recognizing the gap in my thinking, I placed the items on the staircase banister and filled up my bottle.

Aside from the fact that I spent way too much time deciding how to go about a simple task (and no, I don’t typically do this all day ;), what struck me was how I went on autopilot and missed the obvious. Even though I knew from experience the hardly anyone used the stairs, I unconsciously assumed that someone would use them in the thirty seconds it would take to fill my bottle and then proceeded to waste time looking for other solutions.

Being Stuck on Autopilot

Even though this is a trivial example, it represents what I frequently observe in my clients on a regular basis (and typically around more significant issues than filling up water bottles). We go on autopilot and don’t stop to consider what else could be going on. We then spin our wheels chasing the wrong information or overlooking the best solution. For example:

• Having priorities without ever questioning how we determined those priorities in the first place
• Going about a task without considering if there’s a better way to do it
• Wanting something without exploring why we want it or how we think we’ll benefit from it
• Seeking approval without asking ourselves why we need those people to like us
• Being afraid without looking at what it is we’re really afraid of

When we’re on autopilot, our minds get stuck on or overlook a dilemma or course of action that doesn’t serve us. We go about our day without questioning how or why we do the things we do. In the process, we waste time, energy, money, credibility, along with opportunities for fulfillment, connection, and meaning.

We engage in these types of autopilot behaviors and thinking every day. Consider things such as the route you take to work, the situations that you replay over and over in your mind, the steps and order in which you go about completing tasks, the fears that go unquestioned, or the things that motivate you. We let most of these scenarios play out over and over without asking ourselves if there’s a better alternative.

Getting Off Autopilot

My example only involved filling a water bottle. Consider other examples where the stakes are higher:

• Making life decisions, such as where to live, who to date, or which job to take
• Addressing and resolving conflict, including on a global or cultural level
• Solving work and business issues with potential financial, environmental, or social consequences
• Spending energy and money trying to look good, prove worth, or get ahead
• Dealing with social issues such as racism, homelessness, and addiction

Instead of spinning your wheels or reenacting the same scenes over and over, getting off autopilot can help you create new stories, end thoughts or behaviors that don’t serve you, help you be more efficient, improve relationships, and help you shift from being reactive to proactive.

There are several steps you can take to get off autopilot:

1. Notice discomfort
   When experiencing a frustrating, unpleasant, or painful situation, pay attention. The discomfort is potentially a signal that you’re on autopilot. These uncomfortable experiences are often clues that you’re stuck in an old pattern. These patterns could be experiencing familiar relationships, perpetual unresolved conflict, stress, inability to solve or resolve problems, or wasted time. Practice paying attention to these feelings and patterns.
2. Pause and reflect
   When you notice discomfort or familiar patterns, pause and reflect. Notice the result you’re getting. Observe your thinking or beliefs about the situation. Look at how you’re behaving. By taking a step back and examining what’s going on, you can tease out what’s really going on and become more aware of the situation. Sometimes this awareness comes quickly, and other times it can take a while. Continue to pause and reflect until the unconscious becomes conscious.
3. Make a different choice
   Once you notice your thinking, belief, and/or behavior, you can make a different choice. Sometimes the choices are obvious, sometimes not. You may need help to gain additional perspectives or options. Experiment – the key is to at least try something different. No matter the result, you’ll experience something new. It’s like the movie Groundhog Day – we need to keep trying new things until we get a different result.

Not all autopilot behaviors are uncomfortable – sometimes we’re just blissfully ignorant of them. One way to increase awareness of our autopilot behaviors is to ask for feedback.

Questions to get you off autopilot:

1. How can you become more aware of your discomfort?
2. What gets in the way of you making time to pause and reflect?
3. What emotions do you commonly experience? Which autopilot beliefs or behaviors create those emotions?
4. What frustrating or debilitating situations do you repeatedly experience? Which autopilot beliefs or behaviors create those situations?
5. What is something you tolerate in your life? What is a different choice you can make to eliminate the toleration?

Although there are numerous side effects of getting caught in the trap of “one-and-done,” the most significant is that there are zero long-term results. The effort fails to create any sustainable change and becomes another casualty in the “flavor-of-the-month” bin. Therefore, we must avoid the “one-and-done” trap and learn to leverage these initiatives for sustainable change.

The Trap of “One-and-Done”

“One-and-done” initiatives are often best business practices that become misused. Because these practices are popular and well-known, organizations that are looking for a quick and easy fix for a problem jump at them. The problem is that we aren’t taught how to effectively use them.

Think of the following scenarios:

• People attend training and come back inspired. They might even try out some new behaviors. Within a short time, the training is forgotten and behavior defaults to where it was before. Not seeing results and/or behaviors modeled by or supported by leadership, they resist the next time they are mandated to attend training.
• A manager has a performance conversation and gives feedback to the direct report. No follow-up conversation happens, and over time both parties forget what was discussed. The direct report reverts to the initial behavior and thinks it must have not really been that important in the first place.
• Leadership drafts standards and expectations that are given to all new employees. However, after initially reading them, the employee puts them in a drawer and they are never discussed again. Over time, they are forgotten. No one even references them when they are broken.

Like any tool, if we don’t know how to use it we won’t get good results. In the case of these initiatives there is a widespread belief that, just by using the tool, the problem will go away. However, just like with tools, these practices take time to learn to use properly. And, they must be used properly in order to get the desired result.

Ironically, “one-and-done” strategies can create more harm than good in the long run. Consider some of the side effects when these approaches are implemented and fail to create any visible, long-term result:

• Wasted time
• Wasted money
• Cynicism
• Lack of trust in leadership’s direction
• Skepticism around future efforts
• Lower morale
• Confusion
• Poor performance

Fortunately, by learning to properly use these tools, we can escape the trap of “one-and-done” and create sustained changes.

The Power of Repetition

Simply enough, the antidote to “one-and-done” can be achieved by inverting the words to “many-and-ongoing.” Put another way, by frequently revisiting, practicing, and integrating behavior, the initiative gets results. Returning to the above scenarios, “many-and-ongoing” could look like:

• People, including managers, attend training together. Afterward, managers sit down with their direct reports and discuss key takeaways. They then help their direct reports set goals to integrate what they learned and have regular, ongoing check-ins to track progress and course-correct as needed. Even better, leadership creates communities of practice to reinforce learning and practicing together.
• After giving feedback to their direct report, a manager identifies what behaviors need to change and works with their direct report to create a development plan. They then set up recurring meetings in which the manager continues to acknowledge success, provide constructive feedback, coach, and offer support.
• On a regular basis, leaders meet either with individuals or teams to review standards and expectations. They have a discussion around how they are being upheld (or not) and look for ways to bridge any gaps in behavior. Leaders and employees also self-assess their behavior, and explore opportunities to exceed standards and expectations or even raise the bar by setting new ones.

The key in each example is having recurring touchpoints while, in between, having planned strategies for practice, growth, and integration. When used successfully, these practices eventually become part of the “new normal” for employees and embedded in the organization’s culture.

Creating Sustainable Change

This approach applies to any change initiative. For best results, formulate an ongoing integration plan before rolling something out. Identify roles and responsibilities for implementation, create a timeline (ideally for at least a year out), and hold each other accountable by following up regularly.

You may encounter resistance at first if you’ve habitually fallen in the trap of “one-and-done” in the past. However, by sticking to the plan, reaffirming your commitment, and following it all the way through, the resistance will eventually fade. By this time, the change will have taken hold, and people will know that you’re for real the next time around.

To assist you in creating these changes, reflect on the following questions:

• What was the result of “one-and-done” approaches that you’ve tried in the past?
• Using some of the above ideas, what would a sustainable plan look like around a current or recent initiative?
• How long do you think it would take for a permanent change to take hold? What might keep you from sticking to that timeframe, and what would it take to ensure follow-through?
• How might you counter cynicism and/or inspire engagement around a proposed initiative?
• What problem are you trying to solve for, and is there a better approach to solve for it other than a standard initiative?

Safety Amongst the Choir

There is comfort in preaching to the choir. We seldom have to risk opening ourselves to rejection, ridicule, or conflict. We get to be right about our ideas and have that righteousness validated by our peers who already agree with us.

Being in the choir means not having to change and step into the unknown. We don’t have to change our thinking, our identity, or our perception of the world. Although at times it’s important to seek solace and support amongst the choir, all too often people use it as a place to hide out and stay safe. Over time, people, organizations, and communities become stagnant, speaking to hear themselves talk while judging others on other sides of the fence.

This is common in organizations and shows up in ways such as:

• Hiring primarily like-minded people
• Rejecting ideas that challenge the organizational culture
• Pigeonholing people with different points of view
• Blending into the status-quo to gain acceptance or approval
• Saying or doing the “right” things
• Punishing mistakes and/or attempts at innovation
• Nepotism and the “good ‘ol boy club”
• Staying in your comfort zone

What changes when we only hang out with our choir? Unfortunately, not much.

Stepping Across the Divide

Stepping out of our comfort zone and not preaching to the choir can be terrifying, but it can also take us to new places. These places are full of untapped possibilities, potential, and rewards. The trick is being willing to take that step. Steps such as:

• Having a conversation with someone who thinks differently than you (and actually listening to what they have to say)
• Reaching out to strangers or people who you don’t know well, even if it’s just saying hello or meeting for coffee
• Discussing an idea with a diverse group of people
• Including people on your team who you know will bring different perspectives to the table
• Asking questions and tapping into curiosity to discover why people feel, think, or act the way they do
• Taking the risk to express an unpopular opinion or propose an idea

These actions likely won’t feel comfortable for you. They’ll require you to get out of your comfort zone and try new things, experience new people, and expose yourself to alternative ideas. They involve taking risks that challenge your identity, self-worth, and security.

Instead of resting in the comfort of your judgments and preconceived ideas of who other people are, you’ll actually have to find out the truth about other people. This might mean realizing how wrong we often are and how many assumptions we make that keep us separate and stuck. It’s no wonder we don’t try these strategies more often! Yet, this is where the power of not preaching to the choir comes into play.

Life Beyond the Choir

As I mentioned, there is life waiting beyond the choir. Consider some of the possibilities:

• A senior manager had many ideas that ran counter to her executives and the company culture. For fear of being ridiculed and judged, she remained silent, went along with the status quo, and found many “reasonable” ways to rationalize why it wasn’t worth speaking up. When she realized that she’d want her people to share their ideas with her, even if they ran counter to her ideas, she saw how she was doing the company a disservice by not speaking up. The more she took the risk and stood strong to speak her mind, the more people began to consider alternatives to the norm. This opened the door for other people with similar viewpoints to come forward, and little by little the culture began to change.
• I had an idea for a course I was developing and felt confident in the direction and content. Before moving too far forward, I presented my ideas to a diverse group of colleagues, who proceeded to come up with all kinds of different ideas and opinions. I resisted at first, unconvinced that they were right. As the conversation continued, however, I stayed open and engaged and eventually was able to see their points. In the end, the finished product was infinitely better than what I’d originally envisioned and could have produced on my own.
• A colleague with strong viewpoints refused to consider any viewpoints that ran counter to his own around political and cultural issues. Instead, he made assumptions and judged people with opposing views, labeling them and putting them in an imaginary box. When I challenged him around his thinking, including presenting facts and stories that ran counter to his experience, he was surprised at possibilities that he hadn’t even considered. This opened him up to having actual conversations with people he usually kept at a distance, and even more to his surprise discovered a level of compassion, empathy, and likeness that he’d never thought possible. He was then able to form alliances by finding common ground and focusing on points of alignment instead of differences. These partnerships led to engaging a wider spectrum of people and coming up with ideas that actually made coming to work more fun and engaging.

Mingling With Other Choirs

Exposing yourself to new choirs is like building any muscle. It takes practice, persistence, and learning from mistakes until it becomes habit. Here are some questions to help build those muscles:

• What fears, beliefs, or stories keep you from engaging with people who aren’t like you?
• What are some of your strongly-held beliefs or opinions, and what are three alternative perspectives for each one that could also be true?
• Who is someone you encounter regularly but hardly know, and how could you get to know them a little better?
• Who wouldn’t you normally consider bouncing ideas off of that you could engage?
• What group of people do you have opinions about but seldom interact with, and how can you connect for a conversation to learn more about someone in that group first-hand?

What is Buy-In?

Getting buy-in doesn’t mean selling, manipulating, or coercing anyone. It’s also not about forced compliance. Rather, it’s about influencing and inviting people into a new experience that you believe in. One way to differentiate between the two approaches is that “selling” is ultimately about benefitting one person or group while getting true buy-in is about benefitting everyone.

Of course, people aren’t always going to be interested in what you have to offer. In such cases, shaming, bullying, or forcing people to go along with you will likely fail in the long-term. They may go along if they have to, but they’re not bought-in.

Often, however, it’s not that people aren’t interested. They just might need additional information, a different perspective, or to see how your idea can meet their needs. This is where knowing how to get buy-in is important.

The Secret to Getting Buy-In

There are many ways to get buy-in. Unfortunately, many leaders default to a common mistake: too much talking. They present facts, data, and logic, often in ways that are either overwhelming to their audience or just downright boring. People then lost interest, don’t understand the why, or don’t see how they can benefit (also known as the WIIFM, which stands for What’s In It For Me).

Fortunately, we learned a simple secret in kindergarten that can help: show AND tell.

When we show instead of just tell, we give people the experience of what we’re proposing, not just share information about the experience. Advertisers know this secret well, using imagery, emotions, depictions, and real-life examples that give people a sense of what they’d experience with their product. As leaders, however, we can build off of this approach to get buy-in without resorting to selling.

How to Show and Tell

Here are a few examples that demonstrate “show and tell”:

• In the movie The Guilt Trip, with Seth Rogen and Barbara Streisand, Seth Rogen’s character is trying to pitch a cleaning product that he invented to a potential seller. After many unsuccessful attempts using a very scientific, data-oriented approach his mother (Barbara Steisand’s character), convinces him to try a different, people-centered approach. He finally relents and ultimately uses a combination of humor and drinking his product to demonstrate how safe it is. Of course, the buyer is wowed and convinced. (You can watch the scene here.)
• Teenage neighbors really wanted to get a puppy. The parents were initially skeptical, but the kids kept persisting. Finally, the kids put together a PowerPoint presentation showing what their role would be, from walking to cleaning to feeding. It worked! (And, wouldn’t you know it, the parents ultimately grew even more attached to the dog than the kids 🙂
• I worked for an organization with an ineffective client onboarding process. Although colleagues shared their frustrations and provided feedback to senior leadership, not much happened. To incorporate the “show,” I developed some outlines and templates and pitched them to senior leadership. This made it easy for them to see the benefits and buy into the idea. (This also ties into another crucial leadership skill of proposing a solution instead of just giving feedback, which I’ll cover in a later post.)

Creative Show and Tell

Showing and telling requires considering the needs of your audience and finding a way to speak their language. Some ways to do this include:

• Letting someone test your product
• Allowing people to try your service for free
• Doing an activity related to your idea
• Creating a visual representation of your plan
• Sharing a story of what people might experience using your approach
• Presenting possible outcomes from adopting your perspective
• Using a demonstration
• Using art, music, or theater to express your goal

Ultimately, there is no one-size-fits-all answer to getting buy-in. You’ll need to step out of the box and put on your creative kindergarten hat. Brainstorm, bounce ideas off colleagues, or experiment with different approaches. Here are some questions to get you started:

• Who is your audience? How do they communicate (visual, aural, verbal, logical, etc.)?
• What is the outcome of your idea? How can you demonstrate that outcome in the present?
• How can you pitch your idea, vision, or service as an offering versus what you hope to get in return? In other words, how you emphasize what you’re giving versus what you’re getting?
• How does your idea, service, or product serve others? How can they experience that benefit in the moment?
• If you simply focused on having fun presenting your idea without worrying about the outcome, how would you want to present it?

Got some stories around your show and tell approaches? Feel free to share in the comments!

Are You Good at Planning? A Simple Way to Measure

Want to measure how successful you are at planning? Here’s the simple formula: the more fires you find yourself putting out, the more you need to step up your planning.

Put another way, planning prevents fires. Strong planning = fewer fires.

Why You Need to Stop Putting Out Fires

If you are constantly putting out fires, you’re sacrificing long-term pain for short-term gain. Sure, you’ll save time in the moment. However, by the time the fires break out and you need to handle them, you’ll have invested more time than if you had prevented them in the first place.

Consider this example:

Julio, a senior leader, was promoted into a new position with a new team. Between his desire to make a good impression and his tendency to be task-oriented, he dove right in. Instead of taking time to plan how he wanted to develop his team, map out some of his long-term goals, and create a plan to reach them, Julio had his team knock out some new projects. Not too long after, fires started to break out.

Because Julio never sat down with his team to asses their skills, he didn’t realize that many were unprepared to take on the projects he wanted them to complete. Mistakes were made, which resulted in re-work, additional inspections, and extra paperwork. He had to push his team to hurry up and devote extra time to train them, which was a burden for everyone. Morale and trust were down, and Julio had to find ways to rebuild trust with his team.

The projects that Julio wanted to focus on turned out to not be aligned with what the executive team was looking for. However, because he had already invested time in them, he was directed by leadership to both complete them and take on the additional priority projects. Julio was now understaffed and had to make time to hire new team members. He had to put in longer hours to get everything done but was constantly behind. Trust and morale broke down further as his team had to help pick up the slack. He also had to pressure other departments to make up for lost time, and this strained his relationships with them. And so on.

Unfortunately, examples like this are the norm. As you can see, the cost of not planning is significant. Fires are stressful. They drain time, energy, and morale. Had Julio chosen to face some short-term pain in order to achieve long-term gain, things could have gone quite differently. He might have “lost” time up front, but in the end, he would have gained significant time, trust, and peace of mind.

Start Planning to Prevent Fires

Beyond the technical aspects of planning, which I’ll cover in future posts, let’s look at three skills that will help you start planning:

1. Do A Reality Check
   The first step is doing a reality check. Notice the pain fires caused (and are causing) you. Recognize the potential benefits and value of taking time to plan. Be honest with yourself about the importance of planning.
2. Make Time and Just Say No
   You have to be willing to take time to plan before taking action. You’ll always find a reason not to make time, so just say no and block out time on your calendar. Some fires may have to burn for a little while longer. Some “priorities” might not be such high priorities when you put them in perspective. Make planning your top priority.
3. Do Your Homework
   Get input from multiple stakeholders. Observe and take notes before taking action. Determine your long-term priorities, not just your short-term ones. Think through your plan. Write it down and break it into steps. Picture the end result and look at what it might take to get there. Consider potential fires and design strategies to prevent them.

The Beginnings of a Plan

Hopefully, you can start to see some ways that you can benefit from planning. As you make time to plan and start doing your homework, consider these questions:

• What reasons do you come up with to not make time to plan? How will you overcome those reasons?
• What current fires are a result of you not planning? What plans could you make now to put them out and keep them from coming back?
• What payoffs could result from you making the time to plan?