I have been in the “corporate” world for nearly 10 years and only recently arrived at an insight that I knew intellectually but have not actively put into practice. This story will sound familiar.
A new year is coming and the business needs to forecast and prepare for the future. Meetings start to spin up on reviewing or creating a strategy for the team. It takes weeks (sometimes months) to get everyone aligned and decide on a strategic direction, the north star, for the near future.
What happens next is just as predictable. The cascading of the north star lands for some and not for others. There is not a clear accountability system for how we might make progress against the north star so after a full year’s worth of work the team does not know if they have made meaningful progress on the north star.
The most effective way to address this challenge I learned from James Clear. It is a focus on the process rather than the goal.
If you want to illustrate a children’s book, set up a process where you draw one element of a children’s book every day for a year. After practicing illustration for one year, (seeking feedback and learning for improvement of course) you will build confidence and capability to illustrate a children’s book. It will be a natural byproduct of the practice.
With corporate strategic objectives and north stars we create the goal (illustrate a children’s book) but we typically do not focus on the process. The question to ask ourselves is:
What must happen for the goal (strategic objective) to inevitably happen?
Answer that question and we immediately know how to get to work. Focus on the process, be disciplined on execution, and ensure alignment along the way. If the process needs tweaking because you did not get it right the first time, adjust. Make those changes with data and intentionality.
I learned this from James long ago, but I have continued to perpetuate the corporate cycle that misses answer this important question.
What is the goal you are trying to achieve? Take 10 minutes right now to write down the answer to the question, what must happen for the goal to inevitably happen?
