Make mine a doers with a twist

Setting goals is a given. The stock market measures performance against them. Coaches demand them. Startup founders have them splattered on white boards in millions of coworking spaces. They can be SMART or DUMB, short term or long term, but everyone seems to think that setting goals is a good idea.

Well, almost everyone.

I was talking to the director of a not-for-profit association, and he asked me my advice on how to get board members engaged. I told him 1) don't listen to my advice, and 2) make sure at least some of the board members belong to the GSD club.

I agree with the idea that society has both ‘doers’ and ‘creators’. Some people are both or none.

The doers love doing, and the creatives love creating. Doers like the process of getting things done. Creatives like the process of thinking/imagining and creating something new or novel.

If you are a doer, you will have the bug to get things done. If you are a creator, you will have the bug to create. This will happen whether you set goals or not. You are intrinsically wired and motivated to do or create or both and you don't need to have goals to motivate you. You make it personal but don't take it personally. It is part of your DNA.

There’s obviously a spectrum in each of these. Some people are extreme doers and creators.

Setting goals doesn’t make these people accomplish. It’s their innate drive.

Transitioning to an asynchronous model isn't about changing schedules—it's about shifting mindsets. Here are key strategies to facilitate this transition:

• Focus on results: Set clear goals and deadlines to keep everyone aligned and accountable without constant check-ins.
• Emphasize writing: Reduce meetings by improving written communications. Clear, concise updates allow for smoother transitions and less back-and-forth.
• Don't micromanage availability: Let team members maintain their workflow mystery, enhancing the asynchronous ethos.
• Cultivate transparency: Share information openly. Maintain detailed records of processes, decisions, and progress to ensure everyone can work independently.

The new VA hospital under construction in Aurora is now expected to cost $1 billion more than budgeted. Many will get promoted as a result.

Understanding what distinguishes the triumphs from the failures has been the life’s work of Oxford professor Bent Flyvbjerg, dubbed “the world’s leading megaproject expert.” In How Big Things Get Done, he identifies the errors in judgment and decision-making that lead projects, both big and small, to fail, and the research-based principles that will make you succeed with yours. For example:

? Understand your odds. If you don’t know them, you won’t win.

? Plan slow, act fast. Getting to the action quick feels right. But it’s wrong.

?? Think right to left. Start with your goal, then identify the steps to get there

? Find your Lego. Big is best built from small.

? Be a team maker. You won’t succeed without an “us.”

? Master the unknown unknowns. Most think they can’t, so they fail. Flyvbjerg shows how you can.

? Know that your biggest risk is you.

A few years ago, I went to bartender's school. I dropped out but learned some lessons. I thought the idea was to have fun and pretend you were in the cast of "Cheers". Instead, the instructor taught us how to make as many drinks as possible using the smallest amount of liquor in the shortest period of time so you could make as much money as possible for the boss.

It reminded me too much of clinic so I quit.

If you want your team to engage and perform, be sure you order a doers with a twist that has a mixture of doers and creators that is demographically, functionally, and cognitively diverse.

WARNING: If things don't happen soon enough, don't be surprised if the doers leave and find another bar.

Don't forget the garnish

Arlen Meyers, MD, MBA is the President and CEO of the Society of Physician Entrepreneurs on Substack