Subscribe to our free, private monthly newsletter for fresh ideas 
and resources on leadership and self-development.

This is your IdeaShape newsletter, September 2002,
with ideas on leadership and life for executives, managers,
consultants, and executive coaches.
By Pam Fox Rollin, IdeaShape Coaching & Consulting
http://www.ideashape.com

Contents
A. Big Idea
B. Action Challenge
C. Resources
D. Note from Pam

KNOW ANYONE WHO MAY ENJOY THIS?
Feel free to forward this newsletter to interested friends and colleagues.
For a complimentary subscription to this monthly newsletter,
they can email newsletter-subscribe@ideashape.com
=================================================
A. Big Idea: Will the little things you're doing add up to
the big thing you want to achieve?

"We overestimate the event and underestimate the process.
Every fulfilled dream occurred because of dedication to a process."
- John Maxwell

"We must not, in trying to think about how we can make a big difference,
ignore the small daily differences we can make which, over time,
add up to big differences that we often cannot foresee."
- Marion Wright Edelman

You have a process for everything you do. Only when you are aware of those processes can you make smart choices to adjust them.

Are you aware of the processes you're working?
Will they add up to achieving your goals?

=================================================
B. Action Challenge: How will you get wise to the process?

1. Map it.

When teams bog down, it's often about the basics ...
where are we now, where are we going, how are we going to get there,
who will need to do what, am I going to come out of this alive and smelling good.

All adventurers have the same questions. So they find or make a map.
It doesn't discourage them that they can't answer "how" for every part of the journey... nor does that mean they toss the map aside. They know where they are and where they're going. They track their progress and
make adjustments as needed.

Mapping is just as useful for projects. Most workplans I see are
DOA... so dull and detailed that team members tune out the big
picture and just do their little piece. Great, except they ignore the
interdependencies and miss critical changes in the business environment.
These sort of workplans are necessary but not sufficient for thoughtful
assessment of a project's process and progress.

A great project map, smartly designed at the beginning and fine-tuned
over time, encourages smarter thinking. For example, most projects
have predictable lulls... while information is being analyzed and
stakeholders are getting nervous. Predicting where those lulls will be
enables you to make good use of valleys (heads-down time) as well as
peaks (milestones).

What are you working on that could use a good map?

2. Use event-driven planning

Common wail among strategy consultants: "How can I tell the client what the process will be when I don't know what we'll find?!" And among execs:
"My team wants a clear plan, but we're on the line for results that depend
in large part on things outside my control."

You map a flexible process. You highlight the uncertainties and plan for
contingencies. You put in place ways to gather the info needed for
each decision point, you actually make decisions at that point, and, most
important, you figure out how that adjustment needs to ripple through the
process your team and others are executing.

This isn't news, is it? I bet you already know to plan this way... but how often do you skip it in the rush to get moving?

3. Wear bi-focals: focus on the results while being wise to the process.

It's easy to lose perspective in either direction... clinging stubbornly to the
process or promising big while flailing on execution. Are you
shifting focus seamlessly between vision and process?

4. Figure out which small stuff to sweat.

That's the hard part, isn't it... some of the small stuff truly DOES matter,
especially when it's done repeatedly. An approach that's often successful is to get clear on the few specific key messages that are critical to success on that particular project, design big and "small" experiences that reinforce the message, and execute those, even amid distractions and competing priorities. For example, if competitive secrecy is essential, stop having working lunches at Togos and use a private conference room. If you need to work out the bugs before taking your project to the next level, watch yourself for ways you may be squelching dissent. What small stuff matters to achieving your goals? What can you ignore?


=================================================
C. Resources

The Next Common Sense, by Michael Lissack & Johan Roos, 1999
-- An unusual book with useful thoughts on mapping processes.

The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook, by Peter Senge, et al, 1994
-- Read the section on systems thinking to get smarter on mapping what's
currently happening and designing new processes.

The Answer to How is Yes, by Peter Block, 2002
-- In this quick read, he exhorts (truly, that's the word) us to figure
out what's worth accomplishing before running around trying to make
it happen. Very fair point.

=================================================
D. Note from Pam

I've taken the summer off to spend with our young son, Joshua.
Our time together is full of firsts... like yesterday, first time playing in sand. It's easy for me to focus on the milestones, the "Kodak moments",
in his development. Yet, the most important things we do together
are probably the most forgettable... the daily cycle of wake-ups
and getting dressed and just hanging out. I believe it's the richness of those "small daily differences" that will help him grow wise and strong and
kind and all the other things I want for him.

Is developing your team any different? We obsess over whom to assign
to which plum project, but we are often asleep to the performance
potential in the way we handle everyday talks. Yet, it's our routine interactions that model and reinforce the behaviors critical to team success... seeking different points of view, making clear decisions, offering guidance and support. If I went back to re-live the teams I've led, I'd spend less time on powerpoints for milestone meetings; instead, I'd focus more on the quality of our daily conversations. How about you?

You receive this email every month or so with ideas and resources
you can use to shape your success. Some of these ideas may
strike you as obvious... I invite you to step back and look at
how this is actually working in your life. Others may seem
far out... I invite you to consider how much choice you
actually have. If you'd like to get in touch about any of this,
please email me. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Warm regards,
Pam

=================================================
=================================================

WHAT WOULD IT MEAN TO YOU TO...
Expand your capacity to take on bigger opportunities?
Lead your team to greater achievement?
Be your most creative, focused self in your work?
Shape a life that consistently fulfills you?

Contact us for leadership development, coaching,
facilitation, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (R), strategic planning,
and related services that help executives, fast-trackers,
teams, and professionals achieve their goals
faster and more easily.

TO CONTACT US
To offer feedback, submit ideas for articles or resources,
or explore working together, email pam@ideashape.com .
To unsubscribe or change your email address,
please email newsletter-change@ideashape.com

Feel free to forward this newsletter to your friends and colleagues.
For a complimentary subscription to this monthly newsletter,
they can email newsletter-subscribe@ideashape.com

We request that you keep the broadcast intact,
including our contact and copyright information.
Copyright (c) 2002, all rights reserved.