1 big idea worth considering.
Delayed timelines.
Cross-functional misalignment.
Internal frustration.
Waning interest.
Beating your head against a wall.
These are the common outcomes of trying to lead a project, especially one that is cross-functional in nature, impacting multiple parts of the business.
I’ve seen it time and time again. Heck, I’ve been the project owner of initiatives that lead to the above.
But getting something big done doesn’t have to end in a dumpster fire.
You just have to know the right questions to ask and the right areas to prod.
Assess the initiative.
Before beginning an initiative or project, try to methodically approach the likelihood of this project being successful.
As with most things in life, asking good questions is a great place to start. Questions like:
How relevant is this to the strategic vision of the business?
Is this something the team is passionate about?
What are the tangible outcomes expected?
What are we saying “no” to by saying yes to this?
Do we have the needed resources?
Do we have the autonomy to drive it to completion?
These are simple questions but they drive at the heart of the frustrations and outcomes noted at the top of this post. Good questions help us look around corners and prepare for worst-case scenarios. They help us gain clarity over the risks involved in an initiative so we know what to do when they appear.
But you can take it one step further than questions by assessing these areas on paper.
In fact, I’ve already done that and you can steal my framework.
I call it an Initiative Assessment, and it’s intended to help you not only critically think through these areas, but how you can protect against the areas you’re concerned about.
It’s a 2-page assessment that takes just a few minutes to fill out, but will give you a lot more clarity before jumping into an initiative with both feet. Use it before any project kicks off and you might just find your project going from dumpster fire to smooth sailing.
—> Steal my Initiative Assessment (make a copy)
2 Kindle highlights worth considering.
Many people, when given the opportunity to be happy and vibrant, settle instead for being right.
Sometimes our fear, and our self-hate, is so great that all we can do is love it. I have watched, deeply moved, as many people have discovered the power of love in therapy. I have seen people love their anger, their fear, the wrongdoings of the past, and the transgressions of others against them. I have seen love smooth out the roughest of vibrations that shake the human organism.
3 links worth exploring.
🎧 Mental health toolkit: tools to bolster your mood & mental health. (Huberman Lab)
📖 Warren Buffett on complacency. (Aol)
📖 Leading change may begin with needing to change yourself. (HBR)
That’s a wrap for this week’s edition of Forward+.
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