November 26, 2008OTL: TBE - 5 things to tidy up before the end of the year
From our newsletter Outside the Lines - The Business Edition
2008 has left the building
OK, not quite. But it’s getting there.
In the US, today’s Thanksgiving which means:
1. Massive amounts of turkey
2. The end of the year is nigh.
And what does that mean? For many of us in organizations, there’s a charge on for the finish line:
Hit the numbers.
Sort things out.
Wrap things up.
So with just 35 days left to 2009 (and less than half of those working days), here are five things to focus on wrapping up.
1. The unspoken acknowledgement
It’s a drum I’ve beaten before: Great Work is not possible on your own. You need the help of those around you.
Who has helped you get this far? Who has played a role in your success? (Think of the obvious. Then think of the less obvious.)
Try out this formula - it’s good for the first draft:
“[name], when you/because you [insert action they did], I was able to [insert impact it had on you]. And I just wanted to say thank you.”
Then find your own words to acknowledge those to whom you’d like to say thanks.
2. The excess flowing into your InBox
Hands up all those people in the world that have too little email.
Exactly.
Barack Obama might be on the only one
Rather than just figuring out how best to process the flow, think about what you can shut down at the source.
What mailing lists are you on that you never read, just delete? (Hopefully not this one).
Whose emails do you get CC’d or BCC’d because that’s just the way things are done. Tell them “don’t copy me on your emails.”
What other emails show up that you’d rather not see? How can you go beyond “delete” and shut them up for good?
3. The chipped relationship
Somewhere along the line, some of your relationships got a little tarnished this year.
A misunderstanding. Accidental neglect. Two sides of an argument.
It doesn’t really matter how they got deflated. Rather, the question is this:
Do you want to reverse the trend?
Who are one or two people that you’d like to rebuild with?
4. The project that matters
I know you’ve got a lot of STUFF that needs to be done between here and the holiday break.
And you’re busy as a … well, insert your cliché of choice.
But what if you stopped trying to get everything done and just got the project that really mattered done really well?
Change the definition of success from “everything done OK” to “most things done adequately enough … and the thing that matters most done extraordinarily.”
What is that project?
What would “extraordinary” look like?
5. Clarity on what 2009’s Great Work might be
Lift your head from the hurly-burly of 2008 … and ask yourself: if 2009 is a year where I do Great Work, do more Great Work, do the work that matters…
What will I be doing?
What’s the project you want to say Yes to?
What are the distractions you need to say No to?
It’s not too soon to start dreaming of 2009’s Great Work. If you don’t, we just might be having this same conversation in 12 months time….
And if you’re still looking for something to wrap up
Then this video might give you some ideas
while this one is just sweet
Let me know what you’re planning on wrapping up in the Comments section
