A framework for dealing with opportunities and problems

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As a general rule I categorize my working world into two "buckets" — one filled with Opportunities and the other filled with Problems. I will admit it's an oversimplification but I've found it's a great way to ground myself when I have to deal with things.

op·por·tu·ni·ty [ˌäpərˈt(y)o͞onədē] NOUN — a set of circumstances that makes it possible to do something:

prob·lem [ˈpräbləm] NOUN —a matter or situation regarded as unwelcome or harmful and needing to be dealt with and overcome:

Along with my oversimplified view of things, I have also developed a simple framework of thinking which has increased my probability for success when dealing with "Opportunities and Problems" — see my finely crafted illustration.

At its core, this framework does two things — 1) ensures I consider what's important for my thinking and 2) ensures everything that is actually done stays aligned to address the problem (or opportunity).

There are five considerations that make up this framework, and the result can be as simple or as complicated as you would like to make it (or need to make it).

  1. Identify and understand the "Opportunity or Problem" you are faced with — it is important to understand the situation involved and never underestimate the complexity of what you are dealing with. 
  2. What are your goals to exploit (if it's an opportunity) or solve for (if it's a problem)? You should have no more than two goals, and preferably only one because there is the chance you may spread your efforts too thin, or even miss the mark. If you have too many goals, maybe you have more than one problem or opportunity you have to deal with.
  3. What are the objectives needed to meet your goal(s). Remember objectives need to be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time bound) —  I suggest that you have no more than five objectives (three is preferable). If the project is big and gnarly, it may require a few more; I suggest you prioritize them, and as you achieve one objective remove it from the list and add another. 
  4. The activities you need to initiate to achieve the objectives. This could be a laundry list of activities, and they definitely need to be prioritizes because some may build upon each other. Activities, like Objectives, need to be SMART, and are really a tactical subsection of an objective. This sub-sectioning keeps everything you have to do in a manageable form, and helps identify the last consideration.
  5. Resources — nothing gets done without people, money, systems, and time. Rallying the resources around the activities ensure things get done and helps prevent reallocation of your resources somewhere else if scope creep comes into play. Depending on the complexity of the goal and associated objectives, having a resource allocated to act as a project manager or "facilitator" may make sense. Sometimes all of this can get very, very complex and fall off the rails very, very quickly if someone isn't looking at the big picture. 

The order of things I've outlined just reflects the planning process you should go through so you can articulate what you need to do and get approval to proceed — or get the green light as we like or say in the business.

Once you get that... well... then it's just a matter of rallying the resources to get the activities going to drive your objectives forward; in turn meet your goal(s) to solve the problem (or take advantage of the opportunity).

Easy Peasy — then again, I may be oversimplifying.

iamgpe

Moments — opportunities

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I have always found a serenity with being in a church; a quiet that calms the soul. Why this is, I really don't know — it may be what a church represents, or the expectation that it's a place for quiet reflection, or maybe it's simply a symbol of something bigger than ourselves.

Recently I sat quietly on a back pew and supported a great friend (and his family) as they said goodbye to a mother, a wife, and a member of that very church. I was an observer of the human condition — the joy, the celebration, and of course the grief. It offered insight into a life lived, and an opportunity to ponder my own.

"You are born and you die, and everything is in-between". I heard someone say this once, and I could not help but reflect on the "everything in-between" as a woman sang Amazing Grace. 

Big and small, common and unique, easily attained and difficult — these are the types of opportunities that come our way each and every day, and make up our life; this is the "everything in-between" that he was talking about. As I left this borrowed sanctuary, I could not help but acknowledge that this life will not last forever, and that I should never shy away from any and all opportunities — no matter how unfamiliar and unlikely they may seem.

You never know where they will take you. And isn't that what life is all about?

iamgpe

Behind the curtain of an opportunity...

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Recently I've found myself involved in a number of conversations regarding opportunities and opportunity management — What they are, how to find them, and how do you manage opportunities to reality. If you are in Sales and Marketing you're most likely aware of the real science behind lead generation and opportunity management: an area of business interest is defined, activities to build customer connection and customer interest are created, and finally a process to realize that interest (or lead) in the form of a sale.

Classically depicted as a funnel to illustrate the progression of leads through opportunities to a final win or a loss, this process can range from something relatively simple to extremely elaborate; more often than not it also becomes an important metric to indicate marketing and sales activity, as well as a component of the forecasting activity. It is a core consideration for anyone in the commercial function, and particularly if you are responsible for a revenue target.

The Sales and Marketing opportunity funnel is a nice illustration of something very fundamental when considering opportunities of any nature... opportunities are not the result of wishing or dreaming but a result of doing — There is nothing passive about an opportunity. Only action will find an opportunity and only action will make it real. This is why I like the illustration of the opportunity funnel because it's a tangible reminder that nothing moves through the funnel unless there is action.

Behind the curtain of any opportunity is work (sometimes very hard work), and the rest is just process and administration... which I will say is a very nice check and balance to ensure you know what is working and what is not. I suppose there are those opportunities that come your way, but I suspect if you really look at it you will see it's the result of working really hard to put yourself in the way.

There is no short cut when it comes to making opportunities real.

iamgpe