It's Tuesday at 2:00pm! (PST Time: I live and work from Southern California)
Greetings to you!
Each week I send out a short leadership blog that's called "Tuesday at 2:00pm". The purpose of this is simply to provide a brief thought on leadership that you can read and think about in just a few minutes. I send it out every week at 2:00pm (PST) and encourage you to make an appointment with yourself to pause and think about the thing I'm writing about.
Russ...
LEADERSHIP QUOTE:
"No matter how good the team or how efficient the methodology, if we're not solving the right problem, the project fails." Woody Williams
What does this stir up? Either write me HERE or comment at the end of the blog post HERE.
A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:
The is the last thought on the topic of PROJECT MANAGEMENT. It was interesting to explore this a little bit and hopefully something bubbled up for you around this theme over the past month. You can read the past quotes and posts from this month HERE.
In August, we're going to look at the idea of MOTIVATION. Motivation can be described as the WHY behind any action, and it often separates having a goal from actually pursuing one. More on that next week.
Have you ever put a bunch of time and energy into something to then realize that the thing you were working on wasn't the "right thing"?
Have you ever finished a project to have that sense of satisfaction fade away quickly because you realized that what you accomplished wasn't the most important thing?
I'm in the middle of a situation where I find myself questioning if I'm focused on the right thing or not. I'm not going to share the details with you, but I want to share a little bit of my process as I work to figure this out in real time.
Sometimes I come up with a "great idea" (at least in my mind it's a great idea) and I then work to implement it and put it into action. Usually I can determine fairly quickly if the idea was an "inspired idea" or if it is just a "random fleeting idea" or not, but sometimes it takes some work and energy to figure this out.
Right now, I'm deep into a project that I'm trying to determine the answer to, and it's a place I don't like to be for long because I feel STUCK: not sure if I should double down and charge forward or if I should pause to make sure I'm heading in the right direction.
When I'm faced with this kind of dilemma, I often make a quick decision without completely evaluating things. I pull the plug quickly, I pivot before I need to or I hesitate and stall out, and continue in that STUCK place.
This time, this is what I'm doing:
I created some "space" to search my heart and determine my motivation and my fear.
I shared the dilemma with a few people to get their counsel, advice, insight and perspective, and I'm listening to that.
I'm waiting a few days before making a decision, asking God for clarity, confirmation and peace.
That's where I'm at.... TODAY! Right in the middle of an issue, trying to write about leadership, but instead wanted to share with you the journey I'm on.
The quote above has had me thinking and contemplating over the past 5 days, and I just couldn't let it go, so I'm paying attention to what I'm in the middle of.
I don't know what you do to ensure you're focused on the right thing, but I invite you to share your wisdom with me.... not so I can share it with others, but so I can learn from you. What else would you do if you were me?
DEEPER STILL:
I've talked about one of my favorite authors, Peter Greer. In his book with Chris Horst, Mission Drift, Greer talks about the fact that every organization faces mission drift. It's natural over time to move away from your founding purpose and we have to learn to FIGHT to stay true our mission. The book talks about ways to do this as an organization. In Greers book with Jill Heisey, How Leaders Lose Their Way, he addresses the mission drift for all of us as leaders. It's a real thing, something that naturally can affect and impact all of us.
As I've talked with Peter Greer and heard him present both of these books to groups of leaders I'm working with, there are a couple of take-aways that I'm returning to now. These things will help us ensure that we're focused on the right things.
First, he challenges us to go back to our mission statement and make sure that we're not VIOLATING IT. Is it specific enough to help us decide what we do and don't do? If it's not, then it probably needs some work. By the way, mission statements need to be continually revisited, evaluated, and sometimes updated.
Second, we're challenged to determine what we'll say no to before we're in a pressure situation to make a decision. Decide in advance what you are for and what you're going to avoid.
Third, do a recurring check-in and involve some other people in that. Don't try to do it alone. It's easier to cut corners and compromise when it's just you. Bring some people around you to support you, to help you carry it all and to ask you tough questions when needed.
Such good truth here for all of us, but especially for me TODAY as I prayerfully evaluate and move towards a decision.
Can you think of a time that you were completely OFF TARGET with your mission? Either personally or with your organization? What did you do to correct it? How did you know you were off target?
Things I'm Reading, Listening To and Watching This Week:
Re-Watched this classic this past weekend and forgot how good of a movie it was: The Fugitive on Apple with Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones
Joshua Tree from US is one of my all-time favorite albums, and seeing them perform it live at The Colosseum in 1987 is a memory I'll have forever! Great music from a band that never quits!
For an upcoming Leader Mundial Cohort here in Orange County, we're teaching Working Genius by Patrick Lencioni. I'm looking forward to working with the 23 leaders in our Cohort and learning together how this assessment helps us!
Lastly and most importantly.... Gina and I welcomed our 3rd grandchild into the world on the 16th. Arden was born to our daughter Raylin and her husband Sam. So excited for them, and thrilled to have this new baby boy in our lives to love and adore!!!! Being a grandparent is the best!