Bees and flies

The Bee is praised, the fly is swatted.

Both are busy.

Too many leaders are confused. I remember sitting in a conference room before a meeting and listening to two vice presidents contest which one was busier. Being a leader is not about being busy. Bill Gates said that William Buffet taught him that busyness is not a proxy for seriousness.  (Take 90 seconds and watch that clip—it could be life changing). The question is never, “Are we doing things?” Of course we are. We are overwhelmed by the doing of things. The question is, “Are we doing the right thing?” There is a profound difference between working “on” the organization and working “in” the organization. How do we know which is which? How do we know what is the most important thing?

The question is never, “Are we doing things?” Of course we are. We are overwhelmed by the doing of things. The question is, “Are we doing the right thing?”

Many of the leaders I work with are in academia and have just gone through the commencement season. For those outside of academe, this is simply the second quarter. Regardless of where we are in our calendar or fiscal year, now is a good time to stop and take stock of where we are and more importantly, where we are going. To get there, we must focus on the important things.

Perhaps the most powerful organizational question I know is, “What one thing, if possible, would fundamentally change us for the better?”  I asked myself this question every summer for over thirty years. Getting this list to only one thing is incredibly difficult (I was shocked to find that when the word “priority” entered the English language there was no plural form) but I cannot imagine it being more than two or three things. Peter Drucker said, “I have never encountered an executive who remains effective while tackling more than two tasks at a time.”

“What one thing, if possible, would fundamentally change us for the better?”

Here is a potential roadmap for operationalizing this transformative effort:

1.    Clear time in your schedule this summer to answer the question. “What one thing, if possible, would fundamentally change us for the better?”   

2.    Name the one, two, or (if you must) three things. Imagine the world that would result if you could do these things. Take a moment and sketch out what would be different.

3.    Write a press release as if you had just accomplished it. Really. Write a full-blown press release.  Here are some examples:

Today, Acme Widget Company celebrated the success of a revised product line. Twelve months ago, the company decided to streamline their product offerings from 27 to 12. A gut-wrenching decision at the time, sales have increased by over 30% and costs have fallen by 14% showing this to be a brilliant move…

Or

Today, East Cupcake University announced a startling and refreshing curriculum that creates deft and well-rounded sense-makers in the face of the rise of artificial intelligence…

Or

Today, Zenith Medical Associates unveiled the plans for a new medical system to address care for underserved regions. This is made possible through a $175 million philanthropic gift…

These examples give only the first sentence or two. The more detailed your press release, the more detailed your vision and the more likely you are to achieve it. (I came across a folder full of these while looking through my hard drive the other day. I was amazed at how much a fictitious press release I had written at least 12 months in advance came to fruition.) Sure, the details will shift but you cannot achieve it if you cannot dream it.

Now that you know what is important, build time into your calendar over the next year to achieve this goal. The press release shows a clear vision. What steps are necessary to get there? Scheduling time to discuss reducing product lines? Purposefully reimagining undergraduate curricula in the face of AI? Identifying that philanthropist with an intereest in the underserved? How does that compare to one more meeting or email? Rather than spend your days and weeks being reactive, what if you focused on the one thing?

What one thing, if possible, would fundamentally change your organization for the better?

Write the press release and mark your calendar to revisit it in a year. Are we there yet?

PS

Those that work regularly with me know how much I value your time. These blog posts are intentionally short—3 minutes or less—because I know how busy the life of an executive can be. These are simple “bear pokes” to get you thinking and to spur an action. Feel free to bring any blog post up in our next “sacred hour” if we work together or simply shoot me an e-mail to discuss it further if you are interested.