Just Do It.
As a Gen Xer, I’ve been hearing that slogan for quite a while. But it’s not always easy, is it?
A recent local chapter meeting of the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) aimed to help bridge the gap between knowing you should “Just Do It” and actually Doing It.
Author and Speaker Lee Colan (Ed. Note: Lee is a trusted advisor to The Expo Group strategic team!) presented a few methods for nurturing the strategy, getting from “Yes, I know I should do that” to “Hey, it’s done!” His new book, Stick with It, is subtitled Mastering the Art of Adherence. We delved together as an association chapter into the formula for Adherence = Focus x Competence x Passion.
Could any of your teams or committees use a bit of adherence? It starts with Focus. Lee encouraged us to be more like a laser, rather than the sun, by sharpening Focus. Yes, the sun is brighter and more powerful overall, but the laser’s light is more concentrated. What do you want and need to do? Identify that one thing, that high-payoff activity.
Next think about Competence, the “How” something is going to get done. One of Lee’s biggest points to boost Competence was to know when to say “No” and communicate the goals and reasons for saying “No” out loud.
Ever heard of the yellow car phenomenon? Talk about your goal, your commitment to Adherence, your determination to Focus with your friends, colleagues and partners. Lee has a great and super-short video about the Yellow Car Phenomenon here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4irsVgGIoqc
Watch it, then look for yellow cars, and tell everyone about your goals! Of course share them with The Expo Group team, too! You can even post a comment below so we can help you. Another big piece of getting it done is the scoreboard – be sure to measure progress in a simple way, just like counting yellow cars you see on the road this week.
The third part of the Stick with It equation is Passion. That’s something we are very familiar with here, and we believe strongly in connecting people and values to help everyone stay positive. Your personal and organizational values are important and should be at the forefront of decision-making.
We also believe in the Platinum Rule, which goes beyond the Golden Rule to “Treat others as *they* would wish to be treated.”
In talking about passion, Lee presented us with a great exercise. He asked us to draw the face of a penny. Yes, Abe Lincoln is on the penny, but what else? Can you remember? You’ve touched pennies thousands of times in your life. But can you tell me which direction Abe faces and what else appears on the face of a penny?
The penny analogy helped us at the PCMA lunch meeting to think about who we are taking for granted. Who needs some love and attention? Be sure to convert those thoughts of appreciation into actual acts of appreciation so your team, family, friends and other important people in your life know how you feel!
So you’ve mastered the Art of Adherence already, right? Combine Focus x Competence x Passion and you are well on your way to Adherence. Or, as they say here in Texas, Git’r Done!
What is your highest payoff activity at the office? What is one thing you could say “No” to so you can keep focused on something or someone important in your life? Who’s the old penny who could use some appreciation?