Taking a Strategic Approach to Getting Things Done

We all know that the simple act of getting things done is an essential part of successful living. Yet most of us know equally well that it’s not as simple as it sounds. Consider these familiar experiences:

• Getting to the end of a day/week/month and asking, “Where did the time go?”
  
• Looking at the disarray of the closet/office/garage and saying, “I’ll get to that one of these days.”
  
• Looking at items that sit on your to-do list week after week and feeling frustrated and ineffectual that you can’t seem to wade through them.
  

To remove obstacles and create forward movement, take a strategic approach. I recommend a three-step strategy:

1. Plan (the “what”): Benjamin Franklin, Winston Churchill and John Wooden are all credited with some form of the wise phrase, “Failing to plan is planning to fail.” Rather than waiting for things to happen randomly, accelerate the process by making a plan.
   
2. Schedule (the “when”): Because time can feel like a plan-stealer, it’s important to specifically identify when you will take action on the plan.
   
3. Measure (the “insurance”): One of the most powerful sayings in business is, “What gets measured gets done.”
   

Example: Disorganized Office

Plan—I will organize the office. I will divide the office into four areas, and organize one area at a time- file cabinet, bookshelf, desk, chest of drawers. “Organization” will be defined as follows: “I can find what I’m looking for without digging!”

Schedule—This will be a month-long project. I will dedicate one hour to each area, 3:00-4:00PM, over the next four Fridays. 

Measure—At 4:00PM each Friday, I will ask myself, “Can I find things in this area now, without having to dig for them?”

To be successful, measurement is critical. Remember, “What gets measured gets done.” The only reason we were able to measure, in this situation, is that we had set up a specific plan with specific definitions, and a specific timeframe for completion. Specificity is critical. Vague plans can't be measured, and tend to yield vague results. And the reason I refer to measurement as “insurance” is that it’s the measurement piece that ensures specificity, which ensures completion and success. Your insurance that you will actually accomplish something rests in your measurement. In other words, if you tell me, “I’m going to organize my office soon,” and I ask you how you’re going to measure success, you will realize that you can’t measure success, because it’s all too vague. That will spur you on to get specific about your plan (defining the four areas of the office and defining how “organization” looks), and to get specific about your schedule (when you will actually take action). Measurement is your insurance that it won’t be all talk and no action.

And there is one additional step you may consider: Reward. Oftentimes the satisfaction of now being able to find things without digging for them is its own reward. There will be some projects and activities, however, that you find yourself so reluctant to begin, that planning a reward will be critical. For example, if you don’t feel in any way motivated to go to the gym / write the proposal / make the fund-raising calls, plan them for a specific timeframe and promise yourself a reward afterward—whatever reward you would enjoy—a smoothie, a movie, 20 minutes in a book you’re enjoying, etc.

On a final note, I encourage you to do a little self-analysis. Be honest with yourself, and ask if you have a habit of doing two of the three steps. Because this isn’t a “two out of three ain’t bad” kind of thing. For success, you must be three-for-three. 1) Without a good plan, the rest is useless. 2) A good plan with no schedule has very little chance of advancing. 3) And a plan that’s scheduled with no intention around measurement most often, as mentioned above, results in vagueness and failure.

Vague plans yield vague results. If you really want to get something done, plan it, schedule it, and measure it.

And watch what happens….

Bringing Solutions

It used to be that bosses expected you to bring them problems (the role of manager was the role of problem-solver: you bring a problem, they solve it).

And it used to be that customers expected you to bring them a product or a service.

Expectations (along with pretty much everything else) have changed. Bosses don’t want problems (surprise!), and customers want more than products and services. Today, whether you are talking with your boss or with a customer, think solutions.

When talking with your boss:

Do your homework. Once you’ve identified a problem, do some research, formulate ideas, and narrow those ideas down to two viable solutions. Then, when you approach your manager with the problem, present those two solution options as well, complete with pros and cons of each. This way, your boss doesn’t feel you 1) are a “problem-oriented” person who’s waiting for him or her to do your job for you, nor 2) have usurped his or her role by making a decision without consulting him or her (of course, this all depends on the type of “problem” you’re facing. If it’s a matter that’s already your territory, decide and do it! Or if the problem is of an emergency nature, don’t wait—take it to your manager at once).

When talking with a customer or client:

Rather than do a cursory investigation of their situation and bring them a product or a service, do a thorough exploration of their needs, their challenges and their objectives, and bring a solution. Bringing a product or a service can limit your offering or at least their perception of its worth. Bringing a solution shows a focus on and a deeper understanding of their needs, will broaden the perception of its worth, and may actually broaden the offering itself.

As you think about the challenges and opportunities of the week ahead, focus on bringing solutions.

Saying “Hello”

I got on a plane yesterday and, as I found my seat, said “hello” to the man next to me. I wasn’t interested in conversation, as flight time was already set aside as work time for me. But as I would be sitting next to him for the next 4 ½ hours, “hello” seemed like a good idea. Nothing big. Just “hello.” He turned to his traveling companion and they spoke for awhile in another language. Finally he turned to me and, in English, told me how much it meant that I’d said “hello.” This was clearly what he and his companion had been talking about. “No one does that anymore,” he said. “They do their thing and ignore everyone else.” Then he said, “You made my day.” If he’d said it light-heartedly, I don’t believe I would have thought about it beyond that moment. But he didn’t say it light-heartedly. He looked me in the eye, and he said it quite seriously.

The plane took off. I worked. He read. That was that.

But that wasn’t just that. Not really. Because a very particular thing now existed in row 10—connection, community, vibe. Call it what you will—it was there.

For all sorts of reasons, we’ve moved away from simple connection just when we need it the most. We’re in a time of unprecedented challenges.  And whether it’s because there are too many demands on us and we feel we have to protect ourselves, we’re distracted, it’s “not our style,” or we’ve just gotten out of the habit, we’re missing opportunities to build the connection that’s so vital to us as individuals, communities, even countries. Tough times are only compounded when we’re in isolation.

And I’m not talking about isolation at home. Having strong and supportive relationships at home and with friends is essential. I’m talking about something else—how we relate to those we don’t know. How we relate to “the human community.”

I got it today. “Hello” isn’t just “hello.” It’s actually a lot more. And who knows what that “lot more” is—the ability to impact someone’s day? Someone’s outlook? Someone’s decisions? And if they pass it along—others?

Have a great week.

And, while I’m at it, “Hello.”

Learning From Everything

Learn your lessons, wherever you can find them. And you can find them everywhere.

One of mine comes straight from Margaret Mitchell and Sidney Howard, the novelist and screenwriter, respectively, behind 1937 Pulitzer Prize winner and 1939 Academy Award winner Gone With the Wind.

When I’m in a quandary, facing a big challenge, or otherwise overwhelmed in some way, I run the risk of focusing in on the impossibilities. I determine that obstacles are insurmountable and things can’t be done. And I forget that, just because things appear dim right now, that they might not be so bad. At that moment, “it can’t be done right now” becomes “it can’t be done at all.” “Things are dark right now” becomes “things are dark, period.”

Enter Ms. Mitchell and Mr. Howard, with their expert advice: Remember that…

“Tomorrow is another day.”

I saw Gone With the Wind many years ago, and certainly hadn’t remembered this, the last line of the film, and one of the most enduring lines in film history. Fortunately, a friend reminded me of this line a few years ago, and it hit me between the eyes: I’d developed a habit of doubt. I’d become accustomed to thinking, “If I can’t figure it out today, and if I can’t make it happen today, then I can’t figure it out or make it happen—at all.” This simple line reminded me—

Not so.

Feel overwhelmed? Not sure how to make “it” happen? Take a deep breath, take the pressure off, and take the action for forward movement that you need to take today, no matter how small. And as you do, believe that, and know that, just because you can’t see how things will all come together today—tomorrow is another day. And another day can make all the difference.

Doing Something

A mentor once gave me a piece of advice that shocked me. After thinking it through (and some explanation from him), the shock retreated, and I understood the wisdom of his words. And years later, his words remain some of the best advice I’ve ever received. First, two pieces of context: 1) I was raised to do things with excellence (perfectionism?), and 2) my mentor was a highly successful CEO who was also, anyone would have said, committed to excellence. The advice was this:

“Anything worth doing is worth doing poorly.”

As I said, I was initially shocked. Then I thought about it—a lot. Then I lived several more years of life. And now, here’s what I know:

My mentor was not espousing poor performance. He was not encouraging half-hearted effort. He was espousing…doing something. Taking action. Not waiting for something to happen, and certainly not waiting for things to be perfect. He believed in making things, creating things, and moving things forward. And as a result, he built a small company into a global enterprise and created jobs for thousands upon thousands of people in this country and around the world. Not bad for someone willing to do something poorly.

As much as I’m interested in things getting done right (yes, yes, perfect would be nice), thanks to my mentor, I’m more interested in things getting done, period.

This week, if you have to decide between “perfect” and “action,” depending on what your task is, of course, I recommend “action.” Who knows what you may make happen—what products, services, art, science, jobs (and so on) you may create, as a result?