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Five Questions & One Resolution for the New Year
One of the frailties shared by human beings and organizations - the latter, of course, being made up of the former - is a proclivity to get stuck in endless do-loops of "urgent" activity, while losing sight of what's really important.
Many of our classic New Year's resolutions - spend more quality time with loved ones, eat better, exercise more - are intended to help us focus on what's truly important in our personal lives.
But what about our professional lives? What is the organizational equivalent of those personal New Year's resolutions? What will help us focus on what's most important while helping to stop the urgent activity do-loop?
Here are five questions designed to help you shift your work toward what's truly important:
1. If I had 15 minutes on the agenda of my organization's Board of Directors, what would I choose to do with the time?
2. How could my organization become more worthy of the best efforts of our employees, the loyalty of our customers, and the ongoing support of our investors?
3. Is my organization investing its time and resources in the most important areas?
4. What aspects of the "accepted wisdom" in my organization are actually limiting our opportunities or even putting us at risk?
5. Most importantly, what do I need to do to determine the answers to the four questions above?
Building on those questions, here's our suggestion for a really powerful (and achievable!) "professional" New Year's resolution: this year, seek to ask and learn how to answer powerful questions.
This is a resolution with real win-win-win potential - it can enhance your career, boost your organization's performance, and leave you with more time and energy to keep your personal New Year's resolutions.
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