"The most effective way to do it, is to do it."

Amelia Earhart said this... 

"The most effective way to do it, is to do it"

If you are not familiar with Amelia Earhart, she was an American aviation pioneer and the first female pilot to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. During an attempt to fly around the world in 1937, she disappeared over the Pacific Ocean; she was declared dead in absentia in 1939 at the age of 41.

I really like what Amelia has said, as it gets to the heart of an important component of effective execution... now having said this, I know of at least one lovely, yet skeptical friend, who thinks that this contradicts previous thoughts I've had on effective execution. I believe it is with the words "do it" and the possible perception that they are "fanciful" or "spontaneous", creating an air of something "less effective or trite" when it comes to effective execution. I look at it a little differently, and in fact, see great power in the words "do it".

For the sake of illustration, let's change Amelia's quote to - "The most effective way to execute, is to execute." Now this feels more formal, more "business like", more structured... something to this effect:

• There has been a formal review of the situation.
• A formal process to develop a plan of action.
• The appropriate resources were aligned to implement the plan.
• A time and event schedule has been developed with regular operating mechanisms to keep us on track.
• Testing where applicable is conducted.
• Reviewed readiness.
• Approval to "implement".
• Implement.
• Gather feedback 

All very structured, very measurable, very actionable and very intellectual. Sometimes though, particularly as you get closer to "implementation", it never gets fully implemented, delayed or never quite happens. But how can that be, it seems so well thought out? Simply put, decisions and actions are not simply intellectual activities but also emotional.

We have to contend with our feelings, as these emotions can bring the best laid plans to a grinding halt... the risk of being wrong, being misjudged, making a mistake, compromising your security, compromising status, etc. can result in a range of negative emotions such as fear, shame, dread, disappointment, embarrassment and frustration. All of which will challenge the most well thought out plans.

So back to Amelia's quote, "The most effective way to do it, is to do it" speaks to the power of how the words "do it" resonate with the emotional side of the human spirit... drawing out the human energy of courage, tenacity, sacrifice, and confidence, just to mention a few - Allowing a person to overcome their doubts and fears and make the emotional decision to "do it". You just have to look as far as the motivational quotes that are hanging everywhere, feeding our emotional resolve... something to this effect: 

• "You only need your approval. Anyone else is a bonus."
• "The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek."
• Courage doesn't always roar, sometimes it is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, "I will try again tomorrow".
• "Dreams come in one size, TOO BIG, so you can grow into them."
• "What would you attempt if you knew you couldn't fail."
• "There is only one way to avoid criticism: do nothing, say nothing and be nothing"
• "On the other side of fear lies freedom"
• "The number one skill in life is not giving up"
• "Accept responsibility for your life. Know that it is you who will get you where you want to go, no one else.

At the heart of all effective execution is the emotional decision to "do it" and setting the energy of the human spirit in place to get it done. With that resolve established, all you need is a well thought out execution plan.

Rest in Peace Amelia Earhart.

gpe 

Execution - Erase "MAYBE" from your lexicon...

The following is the original and the rewrite can be found by clicking here.

If you know anyone who has come out of the General Electric "machine", you will have undoubtedly heard of, and/or experienced a "Workout". The original workouts came into being as Jack Welsh, the CEO, was working to right General Electric; they went something like this*. A team (without the leader) would meet to review all the issues that needed to be answered to progress various projects, mandates or agendas forward. The leader would then join them and systematically answer their questions with "YES do it", or "NO don't do it", or "I will get back to you with a YES or NO answer in a week". This implemented action.

There is a "truism" regarding effective execution - All action is derived from either the word "YES" or the word "NO" -  any other word will lead to a vast array of inaction. As a quick illustration**, lets look at the manual outlining what to do if you see a strange "flying saucer like thing" in the air. I'm sure it doesn't read like this:

• "YES" push the red emergency button. (action)
• "NO" don't push the red emergency button. (action)
• "MAYBE" push the red emergency button. (what exactly do you do with this?) 

If you look at any process map or decision tree, there is never the option to choose "MAYBE"... it is very hard to know what action to dive next when you hear the word "MAYBE" (or any derivation of it). About now, someone may be saying, "Wait a second, sometimes you have to say "maybe" because of a lack of information, poor timing, lack of resources, etc". These reasons, really justifying saying "NO", with a perspective as to what action is needed next to stop what is being done, or to garner a YES decision. "YES" and "NO" drive the process forward... "MAYBE" keeps everything in a holding pattern - Spinning and spinning.

"YES" and "NO" are also great data points to measure execution effectiveness. The more you find "NO" being used as part of the decision making process, the greater chance you may have skill set issues, resource issues, time management issues, misalignment with goals, risk tolerance issues or a culture that struggles to drive action - If you hear "MAYBE", you can guarantee you have one or all of these.

There is also an ambivalence that comes with the word "MAYBE"... it will insidiously compromise decisiveness, which is so important in good leadership and will also feed the emotion of regret; the words "woulda, shoulda, coulda" will stick to you.

So throw the word "MAYBE" away! It will serve you well. Things will get done.

gpe

* I have not experienced the original "Workout" but have been involved in many of its "workout cousins" ... sometimes affectionately called a "deep dive".  I've also simplified this and taken a little artistic licence to stress the point. 

** This flying saucer sighting example struck me funny. Apologies if you didn't think so.

How airport Newsstands feed curiosity ...

I have flown my fair share, particularly for business; most within North America, but also across the "pond"... and mostly in economy. Standing, waiting, sitting, standing, more sitting and waiting... did she say "delayed again"? With all of that said, other than LAX, there has never been an airport I didn't like; yes I am aware of the issue of pricing, but that is just microeconomics at its finest. What I am really drawn to is the airport Newsstands and the books they offer. They have best sellers of course, but once you get past those, they seem to have an array of the most unexpected titles and topics. They feed my curiosity!

A little while back, I wrote a post called "Along came awareness" , offering a perspective as to how Awareness is an important component of effective problem solving and execution; I then suggest Awareness is born from Curiosity. So now you can see why I am so excited about the airport Newsstand. 

It isn't my intention to offer a book review of my most interesting airport newsstand books, but I did want to offer a sampling, as they have expanded my awareness in very interesting areas... so here goes:

"It's not how good you are, it's how good you want to be" by Paul Arden. Bold font and insights from a successful advertiser makes this an easy read. "Life's Creative Circle" offers great perspective.

• 0-1 yrs: Nothing
• 1-3 yrs: Minimalist
• 3-5 yrs:  Fantasy
• 5-10 yrs: The beginnings of copying
• 10-15 yrs: Art becomes grown up
• 15-20 yrs: A need to change the world
• 20-25yrs: Beginnings of political awareness
• 25-30 yrs: Maturity
• 30-40yrs: Hell bent on success
• 40-45 yrs: Repeating success
• 45-50 yrs: Trying to keep up with the 25 year olds
• 50 yrs: Watershed
• 50-60 yrs: Reinventing yourself
• 60-75 yrs: Gentle decline into senility
• 75-85 yrs: Youth regained
• 85 - 100 yrs: Inhibitions lost. Don't give a damn. Me,me,me

"Universe on a T-Shirt", by Dan Falk. A very readable and entertaining book about the great physicists of the ages and the ultimate search for the theory of everything that is so concise that it could be put on a "T-shirt.

• "The answer to the Great Question... of Life, the Universe and Everything ... is Forty-Two*

"Genghis Khan and the making of the Modern World" by Jack Weatherford. Offers great insight into the man who subjugated more lands in twenty-five years than the Roman Empire did in four hundred.

• At the age of almost sixty, after being provoked by a neighboring Sultan, Genghis Khan took part of his army across two thousand miles of steppes, mountains and the feared Red Desert; doing what no one thought could be done. He completely out flanked and surprising his foe, and as you might guess, it did not end well for the Sultan. 

"SWAY - The irresistible pull of irrational behavior" by Ori Brafman and Rom Brafman. This is a fascinating book as to why rational people will do irrational things... interesting insight into the human condition.

• The chapter, Anatomy of an Accident is a stunning account of the contradictory actions of a veteran pilot, and the attempt to understand why he did what he did, which in the end, resulted in the loss of 584 lives.

"The Procrastinator's Handbook - Mastering the Art of Doing it Now" by Rita Emmett. I really should get around to reading this book. (Feel free to roll your eyes)

"The logic of Failure - Recognizing and Avoiding Error in Complex Situations" by Dietrich Dorner. This is a heavy book to get through, but it does a great job of illustrating the relationship between things and the ripple effect that changes can have.

"American Prometheus - The Triumph and Tragedy of J Robert Oppenheimer" by Kai Bird and Martin J Sherwin - The complex story of the man, the Manhattan Project and ushering in the Atomic age.

• Prometheus stole fire and gave it to men. But when Zeus learned of it, he ordered Hephaestus to nail his body to Mount Caucasus. On it Prometheus was nailed and kept bound for many years. Every day an eagle swooped on him and devoured the lobes of his liver, which grew by night.**

"Resilience - Why Things Bounce Back" by Andrew Zolli and Ann Marie Healy. This offers an interesting perspective on systems, behaviors and their relationships which allow for resiliency through adverse situations, be it in nature, communities or as individuals. 

• There is some interesting commentary on "gaming theory" and what you need to win. If you are playing a computer it's a "tit for tat" strategy. But if you are playing a person, it's a "tit, tit for tat" strategy, as people sometimes do things not appreciating what they have done - It's all about the benefit of the doubt when it comes to people it seems.***

This is a great age to satisfy your curiosity as everything is a "click" away on our smartphone, but I think there is a depth that comes from reading a book which feeds awareness a little bit better. No matter how you satisfy your curiosity, the awareness that is born will help with your creative problem solving.

As I flip through these books, I still find an old boarding pass or two that I used as a marker. 

gpe

* From the "Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy" and 42 fits easily on a T-shirt.

** By Apollodorus, The Library, book 1:7, second century B.C.

*** Page 160-162. Tit for tat is an English saying meaning "equivalent retaliation". It is also a highly effective strategy in game theory for the iterated prisoner's dilemma. Anatol Rapoport first introduced this strategy in Robert Axelrod's two tournaments, held around 1980. Notably, it was (on both occasions) both the simplest strategy and the most successful in direct competition. (Wikapedia)