In 1997 Scott Adams the author of the great Dilbert Cartoon series,
masqueraded as a Consultant to the Executives of Logitech. In helping them define
their Mission Statement, he suggested that it should be compared to Broccoli
Soup for example – I like him already…
The final Mission Statement that was agreed upon by these senior
executives was;
“To scout profitable growth opportunities in relationships,
both internally and externally, in emerging, mission-inclusive markets, and
explore new paradigms and then filter and communicate and evangelise the
findings.”
Inspired…!
The world of Business is scattered with lame structures and acronyms
wheeled out by Managers and Trainers in the hope that the “lesson” will stick
in the mind better when associated with a simple word or principle.
So I thought I’d take a look at Leadership & Success from a fresh
perspective and drop in a few Acronyms and Management Phrases along the way,
just to keep you awake.
Let’s run it up the
flagpole and see who salutes it…
Juror No 8
- 12
Angry Men
I have sat in meeting with booted and suited Executives and MBA’s
describing simple strategies in such a complex way that no one has a clue what
they are talking about – perhaps of course it is just me…
F.E.A.R – F@$K
Everything And Run
Investment Banking 2008
So, how do we cut through this cloud of meaningless “management
speak” – in my view there are two simple steps for business and career success…
First – Purpose…
Figure out WHY you are doing what you are doing. You can
choose any language you like, but if you are working on purpose, people will follow
you, respect you and work for you.
If I asked you Team why your business existed or what the purpose
they were supporting; what would they say..?
This doesn’t mean that you need a dusty Mission Statement
pinned on the wall, it means that you should know exactly why you and your team
are doing what they are doing – and NO it’s not the Money; the Money shows up
as a consequence – you will know when you find out what it is, then spread the
word to everyone; Clients included...
When your Purpose shines through it will guide your every
action, it will attract some people to you and be repellent to others, but most
of all you will be true to yourself.
Blue Sky Thinking
outside of the Box in which the Envelope is kept…
Board meeting 22 June 2008
Second – Passion…
I see people all around me going on holiday, having weeks
off and lamenting their return to work. Even a Start Up business whose first
activity was to buy business cards and a laptop, then go away for a Cruise. What are they "getting away from"..?
I do not take holidays – what would I take them from…?
S.O.B.E.R – Son of a Bitch;
Everything’s Real
Alcoholics Anonymous
What I do “professionally” and “personally” are so
compatible that they are almost indistinguishable, what is there to take a holiday
from..? – I love what I do, I have the best Clients in the World, I write,
travel and enjoy every minute of my “business”...
You may of course need to change what you do in order to achieve
this – knowing what your Purpose is will sometimes mean you need to change such
that your Passion is released.
It is the fear of this realisation that I have
seen keeping so many from achieving what they are truly capable of. staying with what they know rather than doing what they love.
When Frustration outweighs Fear; people will change. The trick , of course is to reduce
the Fear so you don’t have to get so Frustrated…!
Positive Change = Frustration - Fear
Make what you do your Life’s Work, and then it becomes Life’s
Play – both theatrically and emotionally.
With these two in place you can cut out all the phrases, implausible sayings and acronyms and simply get on with building your remarkable life and business - because after all they should be the same thing..
And Finally...
T.E.A.M – Together Everyone
Annoys Management
MoD Apprentices 1982
If you Like these Blog Posts - please leave a comment below, or just drop me an email at davidholland@resultsrulesok.com
If you don't like them please don't leave a comment or just drop me an email
During one incarnation of an IT company I worked for, the mission statement was "challenge assumptions, create solutions" which I actually still think was a good one, short, to the point and different from most. Of course it got changed following takeovers and became something useless and unmemorable.
ReplyDeleteYou may not need a holiday because you love what you do, but I think we all need the occasional time away from the office, emails etc. even if only for a day, to recharge the batteries and refresh the creative juices.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHi Richard,
ReplyDeleteI only "work" two or three days each week, so plenty of time to do other activities..
Couple of yeasr ago we decided to take 12 months off and just travel - lasted about 3 weeks.. :-)
Plus the most important rule I have learned so far is to only work with people I like, so it's never a chore.
And Recharging - absolutely - I find that even when I have down time I am writing, planning and scheming the next adventure.
Cheers
Dave