A client shared 5 questions with me that they use as a basic template to move things forward in their company. They work for a company, a department, or for your personal life. They’re simple, challenging and direct. Here they are:
- Where are we now?
- What trends do we see out there, what are our strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats?
- Where do we want to go?
- What are 3 top goals for this area?
- What’s in our way?
- List the roadblocks and challenges.
- How will we get there?
- List 3 strategies that will get us there.
- How will we monitor progress?
- List up to 3 measurements.
Let’s apply this to your personal life. Let’s say you want to reclaim your time because you feel out of control. You might answer the questions something like this:
- My life feels hectic and out of control. I’m spread too thin and don’t do anything well, and my family pays the price.
- My goals are to 1) Feel in control of my life 2) Have better family relationships.
- I say yes to everything and everyone. I’m over-involved and need to cut back on some of my commitments.
- I’m going to 1) List all of my commitments for a given week 2) Prioritize them in order of importance, putting family at the top 3) Decide which activities I’m going to stop doing in the next 3 months.
- I’m going to ask my spouse to give me feedback on my renewed family commitment.
Pretty simple.
Try the 5 questions in your company, department and personal life.
