Turn corporate fluff into concrete results

Most of us want to be more impactful, influential or lead our team better.

These are important goals. The right goals to pursue.

BUT….They are nebulous: hard to define, difficult to quantify. They are more likely to enrage your team than engage them.

How can you light a fire underneath your team when a goal is so hard to nail down?

Corporate life is full of fluffy goals like these isnt it? It stands to reason that so many managers dont know how to act on these goals. They find turning an ambition into actions difficult because so many goals are nebulous or fluffy.

Customer focus...Operational Excellence...Industry Leader...

I was working at a utility almost 10 years ago. We had a mandate to be more customer focused. Despite being the customer team, we didn’t know what that meant. We went round and round the data and surveys. In the end we asked the customer: they told us be quicker, easier to deal with and better value. Boom!

I like simplicity. I value action and results.

That’s why I help so many leaders and their teams turn their ambition into action. I use three simple rules to help people decide what actions to take:

Keep it simple: less is best.

Make it attractive: stretch yes, but nothing too hard.

Be realistic: no bullsh@t.

Many struggle to decide what actions to take on a big goal. It’s like they are scared to start, or feel that small actions are not enough. Plus, many take actions that do not align… (that’s a different subject entirely).

Have a quick think about it right now...

- Are your actions aligned with your big goals? How did you land on them?

If you are struggling to translate ambitions into action then try some of these for size:

If you want to be MORE IMPACTFUL: be decisive on next steps, ensure your team are clear on what’s needed from them. Repeat regularly.

If you want to be MORE INFLUENTIAL: cultivate the right relationships and invest in them regularly. Be clear on your ask of others and how you can help them in return. Repeat.

If you want to be a BETTER LEADER: listen more, set a clear direction, and inspire your team to come with you.

If you want MORE INNOVATION: listen deeply and ask more questions, take more risks and encourage your team to do things differently.

Importantly, try not to overthink. Analysis creates inaction.

Take a minute to reflect and consider, what “nebulous” goals are you reaching for?

What actions can you take to support that?

Are they simple, attractive and real?

What are your eperiences and thoughts on the war against fluffy goals?

Paul Matthews coaches leaders, teams and groups to get better results. He helps them prioritise progress, improve clarity, deliver on strategy and lift impact.

He is the bestselling auther of Powerful Conversations for Leaders and is a coach, facilitator and speaker. More at paulmatthews.com.au

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