Do I matter? Does what I do matter? Does what I share have immediate relevance regarding the efforts of my audience? Welcome to my world. I think about this all the time. My trademark statement is “Let’s be Real”. The idea is to take a concept and then slow down and speak about how it realistically lives in our management life. In other words, I may speak about some type of tool and then stop the session, sit down and ask “how does this tool really fit in your day? Will it really work?” Or something like that.
As manager, we have to get things done through others. Sometimes we have to create buy-in. Sometimes we have to give feedback. Does it matter? Does how I give it or say it matter or make sense? Is it relevant to my team? Do they see how what I am asking or stating makes sense in what they do and how they may use it tomorrow?
I am just back from a busy travel schedule. That means lots of clients; each with a unique and different need. Each and every time I opened my suitcase, a learner (client) opened theirs. When I opened my mouth and began speaking about some management topic, a learner wants that topic to not just be cool, but be cool as it pertains to them and fit the world they live in. That is why in some ways I have had the “Let’s be Real” moments. It is a blanket attempt to make a general concept small, but in another way even bigger than the topic itself. You may be going cross-eyed. I am actually OK with that. I understand my own mania.
I just got back from Toronto. I facilitated a two-day session with managers. So “Let’s be Real”. You are a manager of five people. You have three new standards to implement. The first effort is how you position them by asking “why do they matter?” Many programs will teach you how to communicate effectively. I have four questions you must answer in the minds of the audience. The folks in Toronto know this. Sorry, hire me if this matters to you. After establishing them, the second part is doing them within a realistic construct of implementation – the act of putting them into place. This is planning the implementation and just getting into it. By the way, sometimes this is the hard part (think perfection). The third is to adjust them as needed. By that, I mean you have to do them and help them to fit into your culture, team and flow of business. The goal of the standards (the why) never changes, however the means to achieve them may very well change often. This is in some ways the secret to implementation – goal same, the means to achieve it changes constantly. Just like selling. The steps are always the same and you always know your goal is the sale. However, each customer is different, as is their reality. We must make the widget, and in turn the sale, relevant.
So relevance starts with why, moves to action (or simply doing it, the steps or the thing) and then goes to flexibility. Is that belief, doing-ness and a very relative reaction? Is it that simple or that complex because you have to multiply that by the number of realities you must react to? As I said less than 24 hours ago, you must make things simple. So…
Believe first: this is an act of understanding.
Do second: this is an act of sharing.
Respond third: this is an act of being aware (perhaps something you never thought of).
Today, I am sitting in a different part of my office. While this may seem small. I am right now sitting in a different place and it affords me a completely different view. This view matters and I never saw it until today.
Relevance starts with understanding a different view. Dude, move your chair.
Cheers