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I was listening to a podcast from Pete Carroll (football coach), and his words caught my attention. Instead of the usual lingo (blitz, 2 deep zone, etc), he spoke at a higher level. He made a profound statement:
Know who you are.
I said, okay. But, I thought about the famous saying "I'm okay, you're okay," but quickly added "I'm okay, but you really need some work." So, I was very interested in how Pete was going to make the logical progress from all-accepting to achieving goals. His strategy was simple and worth repeating.
- Gameplan - Have a gameplan. Do we start each day with goals in mind, or are we just surviving? I hear more and more from my management friends, that their team "is just trying to survive". Wake up each morning with a gameplan and goals to be achieved that day.
- Language - This is all about communication. When I say "imperative" do you understand what I mean? When I say "strategy" or "tactics", are we communicating? If not, then we don't have the same language. Verbal exchange (face-to-face) needs to be the main methodology of communication in our world. Lessen those tweets, and cryptic emails - reach out and talk to your team.
- Consistency - The coach's comment was "say what you are going to do and then DO IT." If you manage people, be accountable to them. That is the most effective way to have the team reach its goals. If the management is not consistent in theme, presentation, and ACTION - you are destined for inefficiencies.
- Everyone on the Same Page - This may seem obvious, but usually the lack of 'same page' is one of the causes of team dysfunction.
- Build on Strength and Uniqueness - This one was key for me. Sometimes we struggle to expand, to do something different and miss the uniqueness that makes us special. Can you define your personal, team, and company strength and uniqueness? That is your BRAND. Leverage your BRAND, maximize your BRAND.
- Focus on the Task at Hand - Provide high-energy, focused energy to complete core tasks. There are lots of blogs and web sites devoted to this. My current belief is to turn off your phone, get to a quiet place, and get to the business of getting things done.
What surprised me, and encouraged me, was that the strategies noted above can be applied to so much we do in life: work, home, relationships, hobbies. The blueprint is above, now is the time to implement those strategies.
David Haynes, NCARB, PMP, LEED AP
Ideate Director of Consulting
David is a Registered Architect, Project Management Certified Professional, who previously had his own architectural practice and was President of a commercial design-build construction company for 15 years. A graduate of University of Arizona, he has worked as an Architect, contractor, developer and as a national construction manager for a national retailer. David currently provides business process analysis, virtualization and change management solutions for AEC clients across the United States involved in the design and building industry. Follow David on Twitter: @dhaynestech
Get it. Know it. Use it.
This post was originally published on David’s blog Connecting the [Data]…
Presently, I am in the Business Analytics Certificate program at the University of Washington, and part of the class deals with how to get groups to be committed towards a goal. Each class the students are asked questions about our commitment towards our goals in life. It is called "Conversations that Matter" (The tip of the cap to Peter Block of designedLearning + Gary Mesick and Shelly Lawrence of the UofW).
One set of questions asks about how to transform Blame to Ownership. Before I get into the questions, let's review the issues:
- How many discussions are we involved in each day that revolve around:
- Whom to blame
- Whom to 'throw under the bus'
- It can't be me !
- Is this productive time, or wasted time
- How can we overcome the blame game.
Here are the four questions (which can either be done on a scale of 1-7, or in sentence form) that should be asked in the group (at the start of the process/project) and answers should be said out loud. This forces commitment to the responses.
HOW VALUABLE DO I PLAN FOR THIS TO BE?
Great question. If the process, decision, or project is not valuable - then why bother. I think what happens is that if it is not valuable to all the team members, then it is easy to sabotage the process, the decisions, and undermine the endeavor by adding 'dead weight'.
HOW PARTICIPATIVE DO I PLAN TO BE?
Another key question. If we plan to sit there with our arms folded, then why be there. If we plan to 'snark' at every opportunity, that is no help. But worse of all is to not participate to the fullest extent to make the meeting, decision, etc a success.
HOW MUCH RISK DO I PLAN TO TAKE?
Ah yes, that pesky risk taking! I have always said that taking risk is inevitable. If you wake up each morning and get out of bed, you are taking risk. The point is to be involved (to be "all in" - http://connectingthedata.blogspot.com/2013/10/are-you-all-in-or-just-surviving.html), you have to take risk.
TO WHAT EXTENT AM I INVESTED IN THE GOOD OF THE WHOLE?
Investment is a key part. If you are floating, then you are not investing. In this case investment is an active participation, not passive investment. The other key part is "good of the whole". The whole; that is the whole project and the whole team.
Important questions to ask of our professional and personal lives.
David Haynes, NCARB, PMP, LEED AP
Ideate Director of Consulting
David is a Registered Architect, Project Management Certified Professional, who previously had his own architectural practice and was President of a commercial design-build construction company for 15 years. A graduate of University of Arizona, he has worked as an Architect, contractor, developer and as a national construction manager for a national retailer. David currently provides business process analysis, virtualization and change management solutions for AEC clients across the United States involved in the design and building industry. Follow David on Twitter: @dhaynestech
Get it. Know it. Use it.
This post was originally published on David’s blog Connecting the [Data]…
