What are you committed to? Have you taken a stand that demonstrates this commitment? Do you speak to others about what you are committed to and ask them about their goals and commitments? Once we know what we are committed to, it is time to take action.
Use a Conversation for Action when:
- You have agreed to a goal and are ready to move forward.
- You are ready to create momentum.
- You see the next step that needs to be completed and realize others may not.
- You need to identify the next actions that need to be done to move forward.
Make a list of 100 experiences, things and conversations you want to have. Making this list is a profound experience in having your own stand. You begin to see patterns and realize what you want that was not clear before writing out the list. Knowing what you want to create leads to a confidence that is palpable. Creating my own list required me to break through my own glass ceiling on what I thought I deserved for myself. Since creating the list, I've learned the impact of having an on-going list, I've also added to the list the conversations I want to create with specific people in my life and new people I want to meet. This has prompted me to reach out and introduce myself to people I might not have met otherwise.
The items on this list are possibilities that can become projects or goals. One of my favorite questions when working on a project was one I learned from David Allen author of Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress Free Productivity. The magic question is: "What is the next action needed?" Asking this is so powerful because it enables us to clearly see the next step and then move into action. This is a conversation worth having once each week while looking at your whole project list of all the things, conversations, and experiences you want to create.
If you do not know the answer to the question, "What is the next action?" then ask, "Who would be able to guide me to see the next action to reach this goal?"
Phrases and Questions to Start a Conversation for Action
- What would I enjoy doing?
- What is the next action needed to move this forward?
- What will you do next?
- Then what? Then what?
- What is the priority now?
- What is the next step?
- Imagine that failure was not an option. In other words if you will not fail, what would you do next?
- What is one step we could take that would move us forward?
At the end of March I'd like to share examples and stories from readers about how you used these ideas. Please email me your story or example you'd be willing to share in the March 29th Communication Tips email: Shawn@TheProfessionalDevelopmentGroup.com.
