Time to take Action!
For the month of September I have chosen the theme of Time to Take Action.
Businesses and families are more active after the lazy Summer months.
Most people want to do something before the year ends.
Therefore, it’s a good time to think about taking action.
As a bridge between last month theme of Rest and Relaxation, for this week I want to focus on how and why Fast action starts slow!
Yes I know, it sounds counterintuitive. As a leader you want action and you want it now! You talk about it. You share with your people you strategic plan. You push for them to start taking immediate action. . . and nothing happens!
You have forgotten that your beautiful plan might not be their plan. Yes, planning has to happen first. But you need to involve others in your planning.
Maybe you need to plug people into the equation!
I once facilitated a 3 day meeting in Iceland with people from different countries but working for the same company. They were having difficulties finishing projects, mostly because the communication among them was not the best.
The first day was especially tailored to bring together a group of 60 people, and helping them to get to know each other. They worked for a recently designed section of an international company. For two years they had struggled to unite criteria, push innovation forward, and collaborate.
On that first day, through different activities and opportunities for conversations in mixed groups they got to know each other and many felt for the first time that they were really one team.
On the second and third day participants found ways to collaborate and start taking specific action toward the future. At the end of the three days the leader of the group told me he felt that in those days more progress had been made than in the past two years. People were seeking others out. There was sharing of vital information. The group was energized.
Although a few people felt they would have liked to start taking action from the first day, the majority felt that without the opportunity to come together and get to know each other in an informal, relaxed way, the progress of the other two days would not have been possible.
You see, without people, there is no action. And there are some pre-requisites for people to take effective action:
They need to know each other.
They need to trust each other.
They need to understand what needs to happen.
They need to take ownership of the process.
They need to be part of the plans.
They need to be energized by their participation.
In other words, collaboration requires connection!
These take time. Not months, not weeks. But still, special time set aside for this purpose.
Successful leaders know this and take the time to bring their people on board before running half cocked for action. Successful couples and parents know that they need to get all on the same page if their marriage and life will flow easily and successfully. It might feel like a slow start. But it will accelerate the success of the action.
Make no mistake. For fast action, start slow!