Do This First - What 9 of the Most Successful Improvement Books Have in Common

I’m Kevin Kohls, a former executive at GM, the foremost authority on using the Theory of Constraint in the auto industry, and the developer of Personal Therapy for Leaders: Leading without Losing It. I am passionate about continuous improvement, so I read many books and researched. One constant about all of the books I have found the most insightful is that they all emphasize one thing you need to understand before you start your process of improvement: It’s a clear understanding of the goal or purpose of what you are doing before you do it. Let me rattle off the list:

Read and Loved

1. "The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement" by Eliyahu M. Goldratt: This book focuses on the importance of having clear goals and continuous improvement in business processes to achieve success. My career is based on this book, so it is at the top.

2. "Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us" by Daniel H. Pink: This book discusses the importance of purpose as a motivator, along with autonomy and mastery. It is one of the most insightful books I have ever read.

3. "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" by Stephen R. Covey: One of the key habits discussed is "Begin with the End in Mind," which focuses on setting clear goals and having a vision for your life. A book that had a huge impact on my early career.

?4. "Start with Why" by Simon Sinek: This book explores the concept of starting with a clear purpose or "why" to inspire and lead effectively. There is a great TED talk on this topic, and I have read the book. Having read the others, I agree with every point. Sinek has regular podcasts.

?5. "Atomic Habits" by James Clear: While focused on habits, this book emphasizes the importance of aligning habits with your goals.. I’m currently reading it.

On the Reading List

6. "The One Thing" by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan: This book highlights the importance of focusing on a single, overarching goal to achieve extraordinary results.

7. "Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less" by Greg McKeown: This book encourages readers to identify their essential purpose and eliminate everything that doesn't contribute to it.

8. "Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance" by Angela Duckworth: Duckworth emphasizes the role of having a long-term goal or purpose in developing grit and achieving success.

9. "Man's Search for Meaning" by Viktor E. Frankl: While not strictly a business book, this classic work explores the importance of finding meaning and purpose in life, even in the face of adversity.

?I could go on with other books and methods, but one thing is clear. To start this process, you must clear your mind and determine where you are going. Many of us start with the method we will use and become focused on what others have taught us or are teaching us what to do. In our simple Personal Theory of Constraint model, we must figure out what will be in our garden.

This is an iterative process, which we must accept will change over time. It will start with the understanding of what I will call, for the lack of a better term, a “Passion Pot,” one that is where we would like to see ourselves in the future – a flower we would like to see grow, regardless of how far it is right now. It’s very likely that this passion pot will be one that we envision people will pay us for once we reach it. A country and western star, a major league pitcher, or a famous book writer. How we do that is not on the table – yet. We are just setting the goal.

Eh, I realize I may have to change the name of growing something named passion pot, but let's stick with it for now.

The next consideration is our Necessary Conditions. While our Passion Pot is where we would like to head, a realistic consideration of what we face daily will need to be considered. Here, we see a stalk of corn—what we need to grow to feed us daily—as a representation of Necessary Conditions.

Then, there will be objectives that are considered “Nice to Haves.” It may be difficult to distinguish between Passion Pots and Necessary Conditions since sometimes a Vacation is necessary to keep you from going crazy, while other expenses are justified as necessary conditions, like a gaming console to do spreadsheets, etc. These are more important based on your relationship status.

That’s it! That’s the first step, but it is critical for prioritization and conflict resolution. However, it often takes a third-party perspective to listen, ask questions, and help you formulate goals, necessary conditions, and nice-to-haves. It’s true if you are a leader in an organization or if you are trying to get your personal life in order. If you need help with this, you can drop me a message in the message box below or send me an email at [email protected], and we can talk about how the Personal Theory of Constraints can help you reach your goals and bring order to your chaotic life!