Monday 25 November 2013

“A goal is a dream with a deadline” Napoleon Hill

This is a newsletter from one of the recent "Work Smart" lunchtime  sessions. The theme was the routes we can take to achieving our goals. 

"Do you know the way to San Jose?"*

LD handed out tickets with mystery destinations to attendees at the start of the meeting. LD had also asked members to bring along their objectives, and asked them to share what steps they had planned to achieve these goals.  

One member’s objective was a goal that required input from all members in all departments, and Members could see how this goal needed to be clearly defined, so they could know when they had reached it. In this example, each department would feed into the process.  From this, members recognised that objectives serve a twofold purpose – goals drive the business forward, and stretch us so that we can develop our skills. 

When members opened their tickets, they identified a variety of starting points – London, Oxford, Bristol – with a range of travel options:  by train, plane, car, or running as a banana for charity.

LD directed everyone to locate their starting point to find fellow travellers, and to plan what they would need according to their means of transport. 

Some requirements were the same for everyone:
- passport, money and guidebook.

Additional requirements depended on the mode of transport:
- flight times, petrol stations, rest stops, and where to buy your banana costume. 

Those travelling together could meet at the station or lift share. 


All Roads Lead to Rome

When members headed towards their destination they discovered it was the same for everyone: they were all heading to Rome, and that all roads lead to Rome, whether you are starting from London, Bristol or Oxford, and whether you are flying, driving, taking the train. Different routes and transport (different objectives/departments), but we’ll all meet in Rome. 

(not Romania)

In order to stay on track, you need to constantly review your objectives, or you might end up in Romania instead of Rome. Les Brown tells us to “review our goals twice every day in order to be focussed on achieving them”. Once you have agreed the destination and means of travel with your line manager, you need to plan your route.

Your objectives and learning management system then becomes your SatNav, and one-to-ones are traffic alerts, to check you are on track. They also flag up any potential diversions that may be needed. 

“Our lessons come from the journey, not the destination.”  Don Williams, Jr.

Out of this discussion, one member related it to teamwork, where the leader is the guide, and you don’t become a team until you are bigger than what you are trying to achieve. She cited an example from "Sports Psychology for Dummies" of a baseball player who was on the bench for 5 years, and then allocated to attack, when he would have preferred to be defence. This was best for the team. Members agreed it was practical to give the map to the one who can read the best, but remember to also teach others to read the map, so they can alternate.

Similar to a jigsaw puzzle, each piece is vital to the bigger picture, and cannot be replaced perfectly, however, it is possible to minimise the risk of losing the puzzle piece. Team continues to function, no matter that is in it, because the team has a purpose. 

Quick tip – Scan or photocopy hastily handwritten notes from meetings. Email them to yourself as a PDF to save to your PC for typing up at a later date if needed. 


Arctura

Effective. Efficient. Organised. Professional. 

* "Do You Know the Way to San Jose?" (1968, music by Burt Bacharach, lyrics by Hal David, sung by Dionne Warwick)