Take a complex project. Break it down into smaller parts. Put those parts on a calendar, while being reasonable about the time and effort each one will take. Start doing and go back to the calendar often to keep things on track.
Complexity will look a lot less scary.
It is the fantasizing, the preoccupation, the chaos, the distractions that get in the way of delivering.
Get back ownership of your capability to deliver.
A difficult step towards awareness is appreciating that we are not so special after all.
The things we think, the emotions we feel, the fears that get us stuck, the ambitions that drive us, the confusion in the face of uncertainty, the defensiveness when we fail. They are common to many and they do not make us any different from all others human beings.
Once we are fine with that, then we can dedicate time to what truly matters: how we react to all that and to an ever-changing world.
That’s where the biggest difference is.
Others will never be as excited as we are about what we do. Nor will they be as committed, as ready, as present, as purposeful, as proactive, as determined.
The first thing we ought to do when we care about something is to let go of how others will relate to it.
And that’s where “do what you like” is an advice that actually makes sense. Find something that you like, something you would do no matter what. How others will react to it is then going to be a byproduct of doing that can only add to the pleasure. Even when the reaction is minimal.
Why is it so easy for us to look at where we are today and think at where we could be tomorrow? And at the same time, so difficult to look at where we are today and think at where we were yesterday?
Without the ability to appreciate progress you’ll never be able to achieve your ambitious targets.
People do not seek transactions.
Or better, if what they seek is a transaction – for example, I give you my time and energy and you give me money in return -, they can find it pretty much everywhere.
Of the three sources motivating people, the only one that is independent from the context is the work they do. And yet employers focus most of their engagement and retention strategy on that very same source, therefore failing to differentiate from any other employer in the world.
If you work in HR or if you are an entrepreneur, there is a clear opportunity for your company to stand out. Make space for employees to build meaningful relationships, give them opportunities to get to know each other when not talking about work, build a culture from the ground up – the only type of culture that employees can perceive and buy into every single day. Have your managers and leaders show them that they care.
It is not what used to matter a few years back.
It is the only way forward now.
Along the way, many senior executives will be challenged to reimagine how they lead. The skills that made leaders effective before the COVID-19 pandemic—strong coaching, mentoring, creating strong teams—are just table stakes for the challenge of the months and years ahead.
McKinsey, “Great attrition” or “Great attraction”? The choice is yours.
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