Are You Finding Your Way Out Of The Swamp?

Throughout my career I have been faced with many opportunities to reflect upon a lasting image from my past military days.  The setting here revolves around a training exercise in which my platoon was slogging through a swamp in the middle of a pitch black night.  At the time I was simply trying to stay in line, one sloppy step in front of the other, struggling to follow the reflective strip on the back of the helmet in front of me.

All of a sudden out of the darkness I was tapped on the shoulder, and the training officer said to me, “Things have changed.  You are now in charge.  Exactly where are we,…how many men do you currently have,…and what is our mission?”  Trust me.  This was clearly not the time to say, “I don’t know…”

This scenario plays out all the time within our professional lives.  Every time our situation changes, we are forced to re-assess our plan of a heretofore steady and predictable slog through the swamp.   Yet, in the face of those nerve-wracking and career-defining moments there is a reassuringly consistent way of responding that will in turn help you maintain your momentum and focus.  It revolves around five key questions.

 The first question you need to ask yourself is, “Where am I?”  Do you have an accurate and complete picture of the situation you are currently in?  That assessment should not only address you specifically, but also your environment,…things like the mindsets of others around you, the trends and movements that are affecting you, as well as any unresolved opportunities for added value delivery.  Remember, it is always vital to know where you stand.

Assuming that your current situation is markedly improvable, your second question then becomes, “Where do I want to be?”   Moreover, what are the measurable characteristics of the success you are now seeking?  These are the driving parameters that will help you describe the focused objective that will serve as the basis for all of your subsequent decision-making.

The third question then is, “What is now the conceptual path from current to intended?”   This will help you frame that all-important sense of direction, process and purpose.

The fourth question is the key in evolving those concepts into details, “Do I now have what I need going forward?”   If you think you do, then where is it and is it readily deploy-able?  If you think you do not, then where and how can you get it and stage it for action?  This question needs to focus on all of the resources that you will require going forward.

The fifth and final multi-part question then focuses on the infrastructure needed to support and manage your path ahead.  Ask yourself, “Who is in what role going forward, and how will we all continue to communicate effectively during the course of this operation?”

You will find that the consistency and beautiful simplicity of this approach will benefit you time and time again.  It is a very effective way of getting past the noise and assuring your productive forward progress.