Clear Priorities

Because of the fast pace of change and transition our work environments will confront us regularly with new pressure points. Your company changing priorities or emphasis will give you opportunity to integrate into those shifting priorities. It is more important than ever at these times to be clear about your personal mission and how to deal with the changes according to your clear role descriptions and unique strengths.

These times don't call for a fire-fighting mentality but intentional pro-active decisions on the most meaningful tasks at hand. It is essential to carefully plan and a commit to doing the "most important" tasks that build the future along with discerning the tasks which are truly the most urgent.

Lessons from Bill Gates

Bill Gates, in Business @ the Speed of Thought, shares four lesson worth considering:

1. Take two "retreats" every year by leaving the office. On retreat you can recalibrate to your personal mission and values, evaluate your role fulfillment, align yourself to your goals, etc. While an extended retreat in an exotic location would be nice, there are many creative and inexpensive ways to "leave the office" (even for a short time).

2. Read books on topics that don't pertain to your business or industry. It's a great way to maintain a broad and healthy perspective.

3. Identify problems early by tracking "exceptions" to the norm. So often, we simply work under the premise of "business as usual" without clearly evaluating the state of business. It's worth taking the time to look.

4. Stop at the end of each day to analyze how well you used the time that day. So much of the day can be wasted by the "tyranny of the urgent" instead of that which is truly important and urgent.

One-Minute Ideas

The Motivational Manager (Sample Issue) offers a special section called "One-Minute IDEAS." Here's the tag-line:

Ask Your Staff to Write Personal Mission Statements

"Many companies have mission statements - documents where the goals of the company are outlined, as well as the means by which it hopes to achieve them. Why not have individual employees write mission statements of their own? Ask them write out a paragraph describing their professional ambitions and goals. It's a good way to find out where your employees want to go, and how they plan to get there."

What Makes a Good Leader?

I just read an article from Executive Leadership by Air Force Reserve Maj. Gen. William A. Cohen , a professor of leadership at California State University. He lists eight (8) characteristics that set apart good leaders from great leaders:

1. Maintain absolute integrity
2. Know your stuff.
3. Declare your vision.
4. Show uncommon commitment.
5. Expect positive results.
6. Take care of your people.
7. Put duty before self.
8. Stand out in front.

Of particular interest to me was #3, Declare your vision. He expands on this, "In fewer than 25 words, can you recite to yourself how your organization makes money and where you plan to be in five years."

I would add, Can you recite your Personal Mission Statement in fewer than 25 words?

Missional Clarity

Today I spent the day on the East Side of Detroit with five clients finishing up the second session of the process of MissionBuilder: including clarifying their values, affirming their strengths (according to StrengthsFinder) and then helping them craft their Personal Mission Statement. It was very satisfying as I watched the body language and listened to each person articulate the thrill of having completed the process and now having words to describe their inner call.

Another client, who completed the MissionBuilder months ago shared with me how he now has a process which allows him to check himself as he seeks to align himself with his mission and core values. I'm most grateful.

Guided by a Compass or Clock

There's a gap between the compass and the clock - between what is deeply important to us and the way we spend our time. - Stephen Covey

It's a simple analogy, but very powerful: compass and clock. A compass will help us find truth north and in so doing, keep us focused on what is truly important. A clock simply measures passing moments. It doesn't direct us to the future or evaluate our past. It simple measures.

A compass is the real direction finder. What is our compass? It can be discovered and articulated in a Personal Mission Statement.

Buying Into a Personal Mission Statement

Over the years I've watched employees at all levels react to the company's Mission Statement. It's no secret that buying into a Mission Statement depends on the employees level of commitment to the company. Why aren't Mission Statements taken seriously?

In his book, First Things First, Stephen Covey points out that mission statements are often not taken seriously in organizations because they are developed by top executives, and there’s no buy-in at the lower levels.

What about Personal Mission Statements? The level of buy-in ramps it up exponentially. It offers individuals the opportunity to establish what is truly important and then to subsequently align their life according to it.

Covey refers to crafting a mission statement as "connecting with your own unique purpose and the profound satisfaction that comes in fulfilling it."

A "Changeless" Core

The key to the ability to change is a changeless sense of who you are, what you are about and what you value. -Stephen R. Covey

It is a challenging a task to live from a changeless sense of who you are. It takes the courage to examine what is important to you, what shapes your value system, and then even more courage to regularly take regular ruthless inventories of your priorities to see if they match with your changeless core. The writing of a Personal Mission Statement is an integral part of this commitment.

Welcome!

Happy New Year...2008! I've been blogging personally for years. With the coming of a new year I've decided to begin something new; like blogging for my business. Whatif Enterprises is my expression of serving people by helping them finding missional clarity and to help work groups and teams develop a healthy culture.

I spent the last four months developing the process of helping individuals write a Personal Mission Statement. It's been a real blessing so far and I look forward to the future.