I’m serious, pick one and only one. At the beginning of most leadership training sessions, which I facilitate, I state my goal. Everyone is to pick one action to commit to from the meeting. I recently realized I wasn’t holding myself accountable to being clear about only picking one and why only one.
Why Only Pick One?
Near the end of a recent leadership development class, I asked each of the six people in the room their takeaway. One of the participants held up her notepad and said I have an entire page of notes. A little later, she asked, “How do I keep up with everything Randy is teaching us?” I gave some vague answer that didn’t offer much help. At my next meeting with this group, I will try to answer her question properly.
Pick One and Get it Done
That’s the answer, pick one and get it done before you go to two. Unfortunately, with this group, I’d gotten away from reiterating to start with one.
Have you ever been to a conference or seminar and taken copious notes only to find them in a drawer three months later with no action taken? I have, and that’s where my pick-one philosophy began. I found myself with a plethora of great ideas, so many that I became paralyzed and accomplished little.
To combat this, I developed a pick-three strategy. What? I know I said one, and now I’m saying three. It’s three, but one at a time.
Conference Notes
“You might have a great capacity, but in the past, you may have been a “slacktavist” like me with a pad full of notes you did little with. If that’s the case, try just three actions. Begin the first immediately, the second in thirty days, and the third in ninety (ninety gives time for one and two to get rolling).” — How to Get the Most Out of a Conference.
Every Two Weeks
I meet with the team I mentioned every two weeks, sometimes a bit longer. Had I stuck to my pick-one plan and held everyone to picking one action to commit to, most could be accomplished, and many would become habits in two weeks. However, I didn’t hold to pick one, so I was asked. “How can we get all of this done?” When you have a page full of notes, you most likely can’t.
What’s Next?
The next time you attend a conference, seminar, or a meeting, pick one action to commit to. Start with one. Get it done and then move on or you could be like me and find your notes in the drawer three months later. Pick one.
How Can I Help You?
I like to help people and organizations, but I have three criteria I consider before taking an assignment – I believe in what the organization stands for, I know I can help, and it looks like fun. If you have any questions, Contact Me.
So, does your business have a management training plan? Because if not, many organizations, large and small, use my book, The New Manager’s Workbook a crash course in effective management, as the basis for their leadership development program. Check it out.
Photo by Marcos Paulo Prado on Unsplash
