Enjoy it. Because it's happening.

There is a simple truism and it is, "if you do something, something will happen". And yes, it does conjure up images of that famous crime fighter Captain Obvious*... please indulge me a little before asking me to reach for my cape.

Let me begin by saying that "doing something" does not include "hoping", "worrying", "praying", "wishing", "lamenting" or anything of this ilk. As much as some people believe that something will happen as a result, it rarely does... other than wasting energy I suppose. 

"Something" refers to action; measurable and elicits a reaction. In other words, if you want to make something happen, you have to take action! And with that Captain Obvious strikes again... or does he? Have you ever know someone who was "waiting for it to happen?"

Dr Seuss famously called it the Waiting Place: 

"...for people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go
or a bus to come, or a plane to go
or the mail to come, or the rain to go
or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow
or waiting around for a Yes or a No
or waiting for their hair to grow.
Everyone is just waiting.

Waiting for the fish to bite
or waiting for wind to fly a kite
or waiting around for Friday night
or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake
or a pot to boil, or a Better Break
or a sting of pearls, or a pair of pants
or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.
Everyone is just waiting. 

Only by doing something can you "escape the waiting place" and make things happen. It may be obvious, but if we are truthful, we have all spent some time in the waiting place. "If you do something, something will happen" may not be as obvious as we think, and definitely easier said than done. 

Don't get me wrong... "doing something" and taking action is actually easy! Where that challenge lies is what happens as a result. Sometimes it may not go exactly as expected. But that is OK! The important point is something is happening - It is all good!

I feel obliged to point out that when I refer to "doing something", it is in the context of positive action, being constructive, and that you would have no issues involving your mother. So as you are making something happen (with or without your mother), remember this - 

• You are getting closer to your goals and dreams**
• You actions are initiating a change, and change is good!
• Making something happen is usually an iterative process, Things build upon themselves.
• For everything that happens, you have learned something.
• "Making it happen" will take you places you would never thought possible.
• You have a lifetime, so keep working it.
• Enjoy it! Because it is happening.

Life, love, work and play... these are our adventures; do something and make them happen. 

gpe

* Captain Obvious: a title given to someone who openly states something obvious... such as "Hot Chocolate is hot"

** Dreaming is internally driven and the birthplace of aspiration, goals and ultimately action to make it happen; different from "wishing, etc" that look to external forces or hold negative energies.

"In your heart of hearts... will it work?"

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

Some time ago I was in a meeting that was rife with opinions regarding the issues of a project, technical discussion, and ultimately would it get off the ground. As the meeting was breaking up a leader looked at the project owner and simply asked, "In your heart of hearts, will it work?". I thought it was a brilliant question!

For those of you not familiar with the term "In your heart of hearts", it is an idiom that refers to knowing something for certain very deep inside yourself, although you might not want to admit it - Not even yourself sometimes.

The question had nothing to do with technical specifications, resource management or operating mechanisms, but something far more fundamental and core to building something sustainable - TRUST, HONESTY, RELIABILITY, the ability to get at the answer and make a better decision. 

Most of us are trustworthy, honest and reliable; it is the way we try to run our lives. Every so often though, we find ourselves with a situation that we believe in so much, have worked on so hard, and have committed so much to, that if signs arise contrary to what we believe, we suppress it - In effect, we start fooling ourselves. More often than not, it is not malicious, but simply "being human"; this is why I love this question so much... it gets to the heart of the matter. (Yes, the puns are intended)

In a practical sense, the answers to "In your heart of hearts... will it work?" are simply YES, NO or I don't know"... often there is preamble before you get one of these answers, but you will, just be patient. For the less patient in the crowd, you can set the question up like this... "In your heart of hearts... will it work - Yes, No or I don't know?" There is much less preamble in my experience. 

To be effective, this question should not asked by text, twitter, email, phone or anything other other than face to face. Remember that business is a social enterprise, so when you ask a "heart of hearts" question, you need to be face to face;  not only to uncover the answers you need to make a business decision, but also to confirm the fundamentals of trust, honesty and reliability. 

 It is such a great leadership question to ask, or to be asked... as like I've said, "it gets to the heart of the matter", helps make better decisions, and confirm you are working with the right people. You just have to love it!

There just seems to be an endless amount of puns with this... sorry!

gpe

It "sorta" went according to plan... working in the spectrum.

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

We all love when it "goes according to plan", as it confirms we know what we are doing, we get to celebrate and revel in the emotion that comes with winning - There is no denying it. We are also aware, that no matter now much we plan and cover all of our proverbial bases, inevitably "things" will not go exactly the way we had wanted or planned. This, we do not love as much.

We tend to look at success of our plans as a black or white situation, where either it "went according to plan", or "did not go according to plan"; in reality however, it is a spectrum of grey that says, and I quote, "it sorta went according to plan". More often than not, we are working in this so-called spectrum, not something black and white. 

Our plans are aligned with our personal goals or agendas and fit very nicely into what we want. Where our challenge lies, is that the world is indifferent to what we want and tends to get in the way... all of those people out their with their own plans (that may not align with yours) or simply the randomness of the universe with it's laws, weather and the such. Managing your plans' expected results in an absolute sense may not be the most effective way in achieving success, but instead managing degrees of success as an on going series to achieve your plan. In fact, it is far more important that you are moving in the right direction towards your planned results - Are you further ahead this week than you were last week?

Some thoughts for working in the spectrum that come to mind - 

Have your plan written down : Yes this may be obvious, so lets just call it good housekeeping. What is important is to have measurements in place so you can determine success of your plan and activities. This way you can determine how successful you are and your status according to plan when you say, "It sorta went according to plan".

It always takes longer then you expect (Be Patient): People (as a species*) are notorious for underestimating how long something will take to do... we underestimate how difficult it will be, we overestimate our capability, we underestimate what is needed, etc. This is even before the randomness of the universe gets involved with weather delays, recessions, real-estate busts, etc. I should point out I'm a big believer in driving urgency to stimulate innovative thinking and creativity, but not necessarily as a driver for a deadline.

It is an intellectual activity not an emotional one: Working in the spectrum, as with most activities in business, is an intellectual activity... problems to be solved and opportunities to be capitalized on, that's all. Intellectual work executes plans, not emotional work. With that said, utilizing emotional intensity can help you work through challenging times.

You continually need to be moving in the right direction: Success is measured in moving towards achieving your plan and ultimately your goal. If you find yourself moving the other direction there is much work to be done. This is why you need a plan that can be measured, so you can determine if your efforts are moving you towards success.

Do not quit: It will get difficult every so often, very difficult. If you believe in your plan and your goals, you need to work through this. Sometimes it will be simple will power (emotional intensity) that gets you through the day.

Measure often: Measure how you are doing relative to the plan... more often than not you will be farther ahead than you think and you will be able to course correct faster.

Plans do evolve: This is not to say that if things get difficult that you should change your plan but rather to say, as plans are being executed, that circumstances, as well as managing the spectrum itself may require the plans to evolve. My experience in this regard is plans tend to become loftier, as playing in the spectrum offers an infinite number of possibilities to build upon.

I saw a friend the other day and asked how it was going. He said, "Two steps forward, and one step back".

To that I replied, "Sounds about right".

gpe 

* artistic licence, with a splash of humour.