The reality is that more of us tend to react to situations and circumstances rather than intentionally prepare for them and even eliminate problems before they become problems. Many of us "go with the flow" and then wonder why things are not what we hope they would be or could be. What if we began to develop habits and rhythms that allowed us to be more strategic and intentional with our daily lives and our leadership? From experience, I will tell you, it makes ALL the difference.
4 Ways to Be More Strategic in Life and Leadership
Work ON it, not just IN it.
The "E-Myth Revisited" shares this concept, and I've adapted it to all aspects of life. Here's how it works: most of us are so busy in our lives, families, work, teams, etc, that we always think, "Eventually, I'll get to making this better," but this never seems to come. To be more strategic in life and leadership, we must build regular and consistent rhythms into our lives where we step out of the mess and busyness of whatever situation we're in and assess and work ON it. This means we observe the patterns, evaluate what's happening without emotion, seek out help, or at least put reflective time into making that thing better. The more we pause, rise above, develop new ways, and then step back into the situation armed with new systems, tweaks, or even overhauls - the better things will go.
For example, imagine the morning activities in a home with school-age kids—how could stress be decreased by creating new systems, some of which may even be able to happen the night before?
2. Be an Agent.
In psychology, they talk about victims and agents. In many ways, many of us prefer to be victims because it seems easier on the surface. We get to blame everyone else and every circumstance as the reason we are not experiencing the best. Yet, a victim mentality keeps us passively engaged and rarely taking forward steps. What if instead of being frustrated because of everyone else and what they won't let you do, you decided to be an agent and make choices based on WHO you want to be and what things are important to you? Victims tend to blame their lack of priorities or even boundaries because of the people or situations in their lives. Agents choose their priorities before they get into situations and use them as tools to live by.
3. What Does Forward Look Like?
There is a lot of value in evaluating the past, especially so that we don't repeat mistakes. However, too many of us stay in that evaluation mode too long, looking to determine whose fault it is and why they did what they did, etc. If you want to live more strategically, learn to ask: "WHAT DOES FORWARD LOOK LIKE FROM HERE?" The reality is we are where we are, and we can spend weeks and months trying to figure out how we got here, or we could shift that energy into looking at the next step.
This principle is all about the next best step. Well, how do you know which step that is? Ask yourself, "What is one thing I can do that will help me move forward?" Now, in order to know which direction "forward" is, you need to spend a little time creating a picture of who you want to be. Once you know who you want to be, forward becomes a lot clearer.
4. Evaluate Your "Yes"
Here's a problem I realized a long time ago: When I was starting out, I thought my "yes" was innocent, kind even. I wanted to help people and be a part of the action. And it's only one meeting a month! Four of these "one meeting a month" quickly turned into being out every week! What comes from a good heart and good intentions can end up crippling you. Learn to treasure your "yes" and not give it away too quickly.
Follow this principle: every YES means dozens, if not hundreds, of NOs. When you say "yes" to something, you are saying "no" to many other things. When I say yes to an evening meeting, I may be saying "no" to attending my child's game or a date night with my wife. Yeses are always no's.
I'm not saying that you should say no to every opportunity, meeting, etc.; all I'm trying to communicate is to think things through. You likely have several things you should be saying yes to because they are strategic, helpful, and will make an impact. The problem is you can't say "yes" to those things because you've already said "yes" to other things. So the issue is not to stop saying YES; it's to choose your YES INTENTIONALLY!
I love thinking strategically about all aspects of life. As a coach, I get to come alongside others not just in their leadership roles but all the roles in their personal lives as well. When you and I learn to be healthy from the inside out, it changes everything. I have an inexpensive online course that could radically transform your approach to life and leadership, and that would be a great place to start. Click here for info: https://bit.ly/RiseReady.
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