See the possibilities...

Friday Reflection (No.1)

Intro to Friday Reflections:

As I shared in my introduction to T³, my Friday posts will be focused on personal development and reflection. One of my observations working with successful leaders from all walks of life is that the most effective ones take time for their own personal development.

I offer a couple thoughts for your consideration that will serve as helpful reminders you can reference back to each week:

1. Reflection is one of the best tools available to focus our attention. As I learned from David Peterson, a coaching guru who I deeply admire, you cannot manage time…you manage your attention. To that end, attention is a limited resource. It is up to each leader to choose where to invest her attention, and reflection can help re-direct it to the areas you want to prioritize.

   

2. Write it down. Though I have a passion for exploring new tech and occasionally new music (Top song of 2021 is Peaches by Justin Bieber), I’m old school in a lot of ways - I love Benny More (Gracias a mis Abuelos!) and I can’t help but sing along to the Temptations (btw Ain’t Too Proud on Broadway was outstanding). For reflection, I am also old school. I use a pen and a journal. Figure out what works for you, but find some way to memorialize your thinking.

3. Summon your inner John Wooden (i.e., Be consistent). Legendary UCLA basketball coach has many simple and incisive slogans. One of my favorites: Consistency is crucial to getting to the top and staying there. Find a consistent time for reflection. For me Friday morning is a good time. This is a practice I started nearly a decade ago when leading teams at Bain. I like to look back on the week and use reflection as a way to focus my attention for the week to come. Practical tip alert: While it may seem trivial, block this time in your calendar. Start with 15 minutes and steadily increase as your calendar permits. Treat this appointment as sacred as a customer meeting or an update to the Board.

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This week’s reflection topic: Seeing the possibilities…

“We have more possibilities available in each moment than we realize.” -Thich Nhat Hanh

I like to be in control. I get comfort from setting the direction, mapping out the plan, executing the plan and achieving the goal. This has served me well in many aspects of my career and life. But it has a dark side (i.e., cue the Darth Vader soundtrack)…in my efforts to bring structure and clarity, I can get rigid and closed off to a broader set of possibilities or alternatives, particularly when I am stressed.

I also see this same pattern frequently with leaders I work with. They can be dismissive of what is achievable at a big picture level, because they are so focused on delivering their quarterly goals (disciplined management of four 13-week cycles per year). It is particularly acute with leaders that lack digital fluency who often take a “what could go wrong?” posture instead of thinking “what if it works?”

To me, seeing the possibilities involves looking at things from a multi-year horizon (long-term), opening your mind to consider a wide range of alternatives, and wrestling with issues from multiple angles.* This skill is important both “in the moment” as well as when you are engaged more methodically in determining strategic direction.

A few questions that I considered for this reflection:

1. On a scale of 1-10 (10=excellent), how effective am I at “seeing the possibilities”? (no grade inflation please)

2. What would it take for me to improve my score by one point? (from a 5 to a 6 for example)

3. What is one area of my work or life that would benefit from “seeing the possibilities?”

4. What is one action I can take in the upcoming week to ensure that I create the time and space for me to “see possibilities” in the area I identified in Question 3?

5. How will I ensure that I consider a wide enough range of perspectives in terms of time horizon (short vs. long) and stakeholders (e.g. colleagues, customers, suppliers, investors, regulators, family, other communities that matter)?

6. Who will hold me accountable for taking this one action? By when?

Hope you find these weekly reflections valuable and practical. If you liked this or my previous post on “The Next Frontier of Teaming,” subscribe by hitting the button below and you’ll get future updates sent directly to your inbox. As always, look forward to hearing your feedback.

Enjoy the weekend!

Bonus: To get yourself in the state of mind to “see possibilities,” you need to mentally and emotionally be “above the line”

(See Jim Dethmer’s Conscious Leadership for more on this).