Lessons for "making something happen"...

Chess is a strategic thinkers game with a simple goal of capturing the king. The strategies to accomplish this however are complex, with advanced thought out moves and counter moves to make it happen. Some have said chess is the board game of life.

Like chess, very activity that we do, more often than not, has a reason behind it; that reason is usually connected to another reason, and so on... ultimately leading us to where we want to be (or having what we want to have). Lately I have become involved with a couple of complex projects and chess, as well as a number of lessons have come to mind. I thought I would take this opportunity to share the lessons I've learned over the years for "making something happen"... 

Have a project plan written down on "paper" or in a spreadsheet. Start with the date you've targeted for completion; from there, work backwards with all the activities and milestones that need to be met.

• This will outline all the activities (or tasks) needed and illustrate how all the activities are interrelated.
• This will quickly illustrate if you have identified what is needed to get it done, as we'll as make clear the complexity.
• This will allow you the ability to communicate the project, particularly the so-called "devil" in the detail.
•  You will have "line of sight" to the resources needed to get it done.

Complex projects will require a team. It is this team that will determine your ability to execute effectively. Don't underestimate how important it is to have the right people, as well as the energy required to ensure they are working in a coordinated manner.

Communication needs to be a dialogue... and constantly ongoing. Do not underestimate the time and energy that is needed to ensure everyone is up-to-date with the latest information... just because you "talked about it", doesn't mean you "were heard". Also remember, email is great for transferring information, but horrible for communicating. 

The greatest plans will "fall off the rails". It has been said that the best plans will become obsolete as soon as they are implemented, as they are now in the real world. This is not to suggest you do not have to develop an execution plan, but rather that things happen, so be flexible and adaptable - What you thought would work today, may not work tomorrow. 

Be Patient. We are notorious for believing things will happen "sooner", "faster" and when we want them to. The universe, more often than not, does not share the same feelings as we do. I am not suggesting urgency should not be your mantra... I am just saying sometimes you need to be patient and wait for things to run the course.

Believe. I am not talking about faith here, but simply referring to being confident in what you are doing, and how you are doing it. If you are leading a team, this becomes even more crucial as others will look to you when the situation seems to be "heading to hell in a hand basket" - They need to know the course they are on is the correct one. 

Victories can be small, but they add up. This definitely occurs with complex projects, as there are many activities between the start and the finish. Look at what you have in front of you, work to the best of your ability and don't dwell on how far you are from the finish line. As they say, "It's the journey, not the destination". This of course, all within the scheduled timeframes.

Hope is not a strategy. Enough said. 

There is one last thing that comes to mind, and that is to start. As much as everyone has the finish line in mind, I believe it is just as important to have a start date - With that, you can then say, "look at all the things I have made happen so far".

gpe.

You define success... no one else does.

I have a 200 kilometer bike ride to support conquering cancer* in eight weeks; now a part of every weekend is dedicated to training. I was out today with a couple of good friends... enjoying the day and getting some kilometers under "my belt". As we were coming to the end of our ride, three riders passed us at a much faster pace and were way ahead of us before we knew it. I heard one of my friends say, "I should be in much better shape and be as fast as they are" - To that I said, "Just think of all those people who are not even out here".

For my buddy, success was going faster and for me success was being out on the road. We both have a goal to finish the BIG RIDE, but our definitions of training success are different. Is one person's definition of success better than the other? Of course not, as in this case, we will both finish the BIG RIDE. Success is different for all of us, with no one definition of success being better than the other. And only you can decide how success is defined for you.

Some people may say to me, "you should be training to ride faster", and that is fair. But here is the thing, there will be other people who would agree with my definition, and yet others, will have other definitions of successful training. And this is the trap when it comes to discussions of success; there can be a wide range of success definitions, criteria or opinion.  And who is to say what the "success hierarchy" is...

• Is success defined by wealth?
• Is success defined by the number of friends you have?
• Is success defined by the loving family you have?
• Is success defined by fame?
• Is success defined by health and longevity?
• et cetera

Which of these are more important? Are any of them? Who truly can say?

In the end, success has to be measured relative to a goal - And that goal should be yours. So again, the definition of your success has to be all about YOU and not defined by someone else. I appreciate that a person's definition of success may be aligned with someone else's definition of success and probably very contextual... such as being a sales representative and having success defined as reaching a sales target. Hopefully this is aligned with a personal goal and if not, success will most likely be hard to find.

So if you want success - set YOURSELF goals and then achieve them.

gpe

* Ride to Conquer Cancer  www.conquercancer.ca 

The "non-answer" ... it's mostly about the questions you ask.

If you are, or have ever been in sales, you will know how important questions are. They are at the heart of the selling process - Understanding the situation, understanding customer's needs, and for identifying opportunities. The type of questions you ask will advance the conversation or bring it to a crushing halt; when I say this, I don't necessarily mean everyone will stop talking... I mean something far worse.

My experience is that people do not want to leave the perception that they do not know the answer; I most definitely include myself and when needed I can be a master at the "non-answer".

There are generally two types of questions you can ask:

1. Those questions that elicit a "yes" or "no" answer, and commonly called closed-ended questions*. These questions mechanically bring the conversation to a natural conclusion and don't develop any conversation. Just a series of yes or no answers. Yes or no will always be an easy and knowable answer. 
2. Those questions that elicit an explanatory answer and commonly known as open-ended questions*. These questions bring with them a transfer of information, facts, opinion and general thoughts. It is here where you can gain the most information regarding a situation and the answers to help formulate understanding - As well as decisions for the next course of action. It is here that the non-answer can, and usually comes alive.

What do I mean by the non-answer? You know those meetings or conversations that involve a dialogue with questions and discussions and in the end you are no further ahead regarding tangible answers to your questions or problems - That is the description of a non-answer situation. No doubt there are situations where answers are deliberately withheld, but I am not referring to those. Rather to those situations where, even with the best of attentions, the answers never come to light. Some reasons immediately spring to mind - 

The correct question simply does not get asked and never leads to the answer, or changing a person's way of thinking.

• This is actually a difficult situation to work through as you build your questions from a personal foundation of knowledge and experiences; you may not have the capability to ask the correct question. This is why it is important to have a number of people with diverse backgrounds helping you get to the answers. We have all been in meetings or situations where you figuratively see the light bulb go on and the person says, "Oh, now I understand what you are asking".

There is a perceived obligation to say something and everything... sometimes answering the question and sometimes not.

• There are those who think fast, talk fast, and share it all. It is here that the term "baffle them with bullshit" originated I believe. More often than not, the answer is somewhere in the grand story that has been presented. The solution here may be as much about subtle people management and facilitation, as it is with asking the correct question. My experience here is using a series of closed ended questions can drive focus or simply asking, "could you summarize your answer to the question in three bullet points?" 

A person, for a variety of human reasons, does not want to admit they do not know the answer.

• The manifestation of this can look very much like the earlier points, but unlike their primary drivers of not understanding the question, this is driven more by human emotions such as pride, fear, and so on. This is a very difficult situation to detect (particularly if someone is a master at it), and will not be solved by a question... it will be solved by creating an environment where - 1) Knowing how to find the answer is much more important than having it, 2) Saying you don't have the answer is a positive quality, and 3) understanding that action can not be driven from "non answers".

So remember, "Confidence never comes from having all the answers; it comes from being open to all of the questions." And also remember, for those of us with adult ADHD, those long, rambling non-answers are killers.

gpe

* Open and Closed ended questions have been referred to by many different names over the decades and the subject of countless books on sales.