The power of imagination

We do a better job of creating new possible directions, approaches and questions when we engage and develop our imaginations. When people struggle with imagination they struggle with planning. Imagination is that necessary and pivotal.

What do leaders do in planning

Of you're a leader at the planning table, you have the same opportunities everyone else does. Be transparent, listen simply, help grow new ideas, share anything relevant you know, express all questions that emerge for you, do whatever plays to your strengths, help the group make wise and well timed decisions.

Who we are together

Whenever people come together in planning, it's a configuration of people that has never exactly existed before in human history. We share a unique fabric of stories, beliefs and values. To know these is to know who we are. Knowing who we are accelerates and deepens the process because it optimally engages us.

Engaging the anxious

Some people get anxious in deciding on an approach to a direction. They fear failure, which looms large in the field of unknowns and unknown unknowns at play.

What we need to remind them is that all we need to do is know our questions well, work from them, learn from them, notice the next iteration of questions, make any adjustments in directions and approaches that make sense, and repeat the algorithm.

The power of micro-actions

One way to think about a micro-action is something we do for about 20 minutes. It's a reasonable approach on days when we don't actually have more time to make progress on what's in our cue.

20 minutes can be scheduled or simply happen as found time. If we’re used to taking as much as we want or think we need, working in micro-actions gets us thinking more crisply about all the parts of tasks. It boosts efficiency and the spaces between micro-actions allows for more creativity, learning and agility.

Success critiques

When a team has had a good day, week, month or quarter, they can extract lessons learned in service of conscious group competency.

What did everyone do individually they thought contributed to success?

What did people give attention to?

What questions supported us?

What did people share in the process?

What was clear about what we shared interest in?

What problems did we solve and how did we solve them?

The primacy of distinctions

Team leaders who want high engagement and creative teams work from the notion that people have all the skills they need. They just need to put them together differently. Leaders do this by teaching teams new distinctions, like opted in feedback and team agreements. Everything happens from there. People don't need new skills, they need new distinctions.

Adult conversations with the ready to retire

An adult conversation is first one that actually happens. Leaders invite conversations with people before retirement age kicks in. It's a caring and focused conversation about their desired legacy and how their team can support what they want to grow that could support their next purposes. It doesn't need to be complicated or difficult.