We’ve got a little more
work to do before Section 2 of your plan--Initiatives--is completed. Let's get right to it.
Up to this point you may have up to 8 of the 9 Initiatives spoken for—the first one is taken by The One Big Project you listed in section 1, Results. The other seven by each of the key results.
That leaves Initiative number nine wide open, and, as they say, nature abhors a vacuum. So let's fill it. Number nine is addressed by asking yourself this question:
When I look at Section 1, Results, as a whole, is there one project I could undertake that would actually support achieving virtually all of that?
Let's face it. Up to this point the planning process has been very linear. And there's good reason for that: if you add something linear to the somewhat circular process most folks use in planning, you get an upward spiral. Then you actually go somewhere as opposed to continually walking in circles and wondering why you are right back to where you were even though you had the best of intentions to actually leave the neighborhood for once.
The question you are asking is a holistic, systems-oriented question. And it is perfect for slot number 9, because 9 is the number of completion. If you get a really good internal response to the question, you (and your results) will be completed in more ways than you can imagine. Imagine that.
Examples? I’m not giving you much direction on this. Reach deep and get real with yourself and you will find more than an example. You will find an answer.
I will give you a suggestion, though. Sometimes an
initiative to stop doing something is more important than an initiative that
adds something to that 45 pound pack of yours you are carrying on this adventure from here to your key results. Roger that?
For those who have worked through my prior planning approach, I want to be clear. This is an initiative--a project--that will affect everything else. It is something you can do in order to make achieving all (or some) of the other initiatives and results you've listed easier. At this point I am not talking about a change to your behavior. We'll get to that.
So what types of projects might affect all else? A project to delegate more effectively to the people on your team. Or implementing some form of organizing structure so your to-do's and desk and inbox and files are not such a mess. Or developing sales skills. Or joining a team of like-minded people rather than continuing to try to go it alone when that is not really your DNA. Or repairing a broken, important relationship. Like with a business partner, or even a broken working relationship with money.
So give it a go? What would be a good number 9 initiative for you? What initiative or project might support all else? Write that down now, next to 9. (I will remind you again that our mantra is "progress, not perfection." So don't get yerself tied in 'nots if yer number nine ain't purfect yet. Remember, neither are you, and we still love ya. Pass that same feeling along to yer plan.)
Some final FAQ's regarding Section 2--Initiatives:
What if you have open
Initiative slots? Should you load them up with other things that come to you? It’s your plan, so it’s your call. My
recommendation, unless you are a planning ace, is no. Don’t. Not until you have
been through this particular process at least one time.
What if you now have thought of something bigger than what you wrote in Section 1, Results, and/or Section 2, Initiatives? If you even have to ask, I am worried about you. Change it. Reprioritize what you’ve got, and work it in. Your life is dynamic. Your insights are dynamic. So your plan has to be. (Just don't go changing it willy-nilly, mind you. You know the difference.)
I will leave you with the words of one of my heroes, Dwight Eisenhower, who knew a lot about both plans and planning:
“In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.”
Congratulations. You now have defined the most important results you want to produce, both quantitative results and The One Big Project. And you have defined up to 9 supporting initiatives to support you in doing that.
The first two sections are fairly logical. Section 3, well that gets psychological. And the reason you should care about that is because now we will look at the source. You.
And, if you remember our diagram (see inset), you will connect that working on Section 1 was/is about getting crystal clear on your desired outcomes (Results), and Section 2 was/is about figuring out what you will be doing (Processes) to achieve that.
So yes, Section 3. Our journey into Section 3 takes us to the source. Or to the periphery of it, anyway. Things are about to get a lot less linear. But don't worry, we have a process we will be following that is proven and you can use for the rest of your life. So, "ET phone home." Here we go... Let's return to the source and see it with fresh eyes...
Great. That is section 2,
the Initiatives, the HOW of Section 1, Results. Next up, how to do section 3.
