The Wall – Great Music, but you do not want to hit it!

I have dedicated the last two blogs on the topic of being in control, specifically of your own time investment. But what to do with the time you feed up? 

As I addressed before, many times I have spent time with managers that are totally operationalized, being lived by what comes on their table.

I hope I gave you some understanding of the importance of being in control and focus on things that matter; build your team on trust instead of needless checks, rely on professionalism instead of telling how to do the job, drive on value outcomes instead of output.

This blog I would like to focus on a topic that should be placed on top of your priority list for allocating time you freed up. That is to step out the treadmill once and again and think about how your organization would look like in 3-5 years' time.

Some call it a helicopter view, others outside-the-box or future thinking, but whatever you call it, it is important to put yourself 3-5 years ahead in time and try to depict how your team mission and vision will look like.

Obviously, your organization is not at the center of the world. So it will require some imagination and discussions with people (in- and outside) the organisation to work out your "spot on the horizon".

While making up your mind, the bullets below might give you some food for thought:

1. How to work less and achieve more! Think in Terms of Productivity, rather than efficiency. It sounds hardly unbelievable, but despite all the ICT and processes we have implemented, the productivity on a global level goes down (and since this really is a topic on its own, I will address this in one of my next blogs 😉)...

2. You do not have a Crystal Ball, so be pragmatic and realistic and take stand. Accept your mission and vision could be off track when time passes.

3. Think in terms of Value Contribution. If the contribution of your team does not add value to whatever your company is producing, think about how to eliminate this activity or process.

4. Let loose Past Achievements and start with a "clean sheet". The most difficult challenge for our brain is to unlearn. Drucker once said: "The greatest danger in times of turbulence is not the turbulence, it is to act with yesterday's logic".

5. No team or organisation adds value in isolation. Always think about "adding value as part of" a networked organisation or society.

Once you created your understanding of where your team could be in 3-5 years, you can start thinking about a step-phased approach keeping the spot on the horizon in sight. With detailed plans for the short term and more global objectives for mid- and long term, allowing to adapt when needed.

Last but not least, while you are getting more and more passionate about your believe in developing your plan you should work on your (in-)formal network to get endorsement.

My views on next stages, communication and change, will be covered in one of my next blogs.

At least to this point, you can listen to the classic from Roger Waters and not be afraid something hit you by surprise.