Tag Archives: direction

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes

What by When?

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Clarity of purpose, understood by everyone involved or impacted by your plans and objectives, is core to their achievement.  It has been asked many times but if you don’t know where you are going do you ever arrive?

Leadership first and foremost is about ensuring that clarity exists – universally.  The clearly and broader the message is spread the greater the likelihood of arriving at the destination but at least you will know if you are not there yet.

What by When

For everything we set out to do there is always the question “What are we doing?” and co-existing with the objective is timing “When will we finish?”  These two simple pieces of information completely define any and all tasks we undertake.

This is not to say plans are absolute and inflexible.  Both the what and when parameters can change as you meander along your journey.   Starting without knowing what you are attempting to achieve leads to chaos, changing it as you learn more does not.

Motivation

Everything we do , how we behave, our desires, all have some underlying motivation.  Nothing happens without motivation.  Both what you are seeking to achieve and the time frame underpin motivation and drive urgency.

Having a solid understanding of the strategy and direction can be very high level or intricately detailed but without some definition of purpose  why would we do anything.

Of course even doing nothing requires motivation.  That is to say nothing can be defined and so is something.  The level of motivation to do nothing (possibly the default activity) does not need to be strong but still must be present.

 

 

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes

Movers and Shakers

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Derived from the 1874 poem “Ode” by Arthur O’Shaughnessy the term “movers and shakers” became well known in the early nineteen hundreds when incorporated in a popular musical of the time.

The phrase is commonly used to describe powerful and worldly individuals and groups and those who make great accomplishments. Simply those who shake the foundations of conventional thinking by the strength of their imagination and vision.

No Boundaries

For the goal and objective oriented individuals to be classified as a mover and shaker is an admirable ambition.  For these dreamers, there are often very few hard boundaries.

Being viewed as a mover and shaker requires effort.  Basically, the perception arises when you clearly are the one getting things down.  Stated differently, you demonstrate the ability to use your personal power effectively.

The status quo does not define you and you do not view the eliciting of major and significant changes as shaking things up but rather simply achieving things.  Often labelled results oriented.

Leaders?

Typically those we recognize as great leaders fit this definition although to be a great leader you do not need to be a mover and shaker and if you are defined as a mover and shaker, it does not necessarily mean you are a great leader.

Being perceived as a mover and shaker can often form a strong base for a leader to launch their vision.  Also though it can be perceived as too forceful and not always to everyone’s benefit.  Some people prefer the status quo and movers and shakers make them uneasy.

 

 

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes

Seeking Direction?

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Life encompasses growth, ongoing activity, and continual change preceding death.  From birth to death each of us is on a conceptual journey where our experiences lead to new understandings. 

Our journey can be passive (go with the flow), active (control the outcomes) or a combination of approaches.

 Whether  you choose to control or influence your outcomes, or let someone else do it,  a key factor is what direction are you headed.

Finding Your Way

Your direction is dependant on where you are headed, that is what is the objective or goal?  Sometimes you my have an idea but need some help.

In these cases we often look to our leaders to provide some ideas or indications, even suggestions of our destination.  Ultimately we choose but our leaders can help us make that choice.

Of course in some cases the leaders directions are firm and prescriptive and we just need to go along for the ride.  The more motivating approach occurs when leaders encourge and advise but leave the choice to us.

Passive/Aggressive

When the leaders pronounced direction is not to your liking you may choose to appear to accept the direction (passive reaction) but through your actions do everything to acually go a different direction (aggressive).

Ultimately the path you travel and the destination you reach  are most pleasant when it’s where you want to go.  

This applies regardless of whether you devised your own direction or it was provided by a leader or even just through circumstance.

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes

WIC

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Acronyms can make a simple thought or activity seem more meaningful than it is.  They are also not bad for grabbing attention.  Today I an going to explore WIC.

What is that you say.  Whose In Charge? (WIC).  This can be the bain of collaboration.  Even for the most effective collaborative efforts, failure is on the horizon if WIC is unknown.

Everyone or No One

The extreme cases are the issue, as is so often true.  If the answer to WIC is at either extreme (everyone or no one) little will be accomplished.

To be clear, without a full understanding of the leadership model there might be a lot of churn and burn and as a result solutions or outcomes will be etherial.

This is not to condem either dictating or anarchical approaches, both might have some validity in some context (although I can’t imagine when).

Rather, as is so often the case, a balanced approach is needed.  Albeit the question as to who is in charge, whether shared or through consensus or even a third party, must be clearly understood and bought into by all.

Everyone is important

Understanding who is in charge does not overrride the key principle of collaboration, that is “Everyone is Important”.  The key is focusing the energy and drawing out the best in everyone.

This is not to imply the leader is better or more important than anyone else but rather just to say the action of “herding the cats” is critical to achieve results.

The cat herder is necessary but not of special importance.