What’s the ONE thing I can do such that by doing it everything else will be easier or unnecessary? Gary Keller with Jay Papasan “The One Thing”, 2014.
The premise of this number one best selling book can be applied to any area of your life, work, relationships, leadership. And I find it a most useful approach to focussing our practice. It also makes me super curious.
I have so many questions right now. What is the one leadership habit you’ve been practicing? What’s the one thing that is having the most positive impact for you? How do you practice it? What do you see, feel, hear? I want to write a blog where you give me the content… I want to know what it is that you are doing, and how you are doing it. What is it that is making you the leader you are and proud of it?
As we practice and role model the leadership behaviours that we know are having the most positive impact, we set up a routine that works for us. We create a way of working that we can sustain and keep us engaged and motivated and we practice, practice, practice… As we get better at it, we may have totally assumed it and don’t quite stop to reflect on how we’re doing, we may not even know how to name our one thing.
Pause and reflect.
As the saying goes, “we are our habits”. We do encourage routines and a pace that feels habitual and familiar. Because internalising a practice makes it more authentic, real, it enables deeply rooted behaviours. However, it is as important to stop and analyse what is working in favour of positive impact and what in our habits is turning out to be noise and distraction, and needs to be quit.
Focussing and practicing to make progress are not the only two options to achieving great results. With your practice and reflection comes another great ally, accountability. It is you who will put in the time, the effort, who is seeking feedback and making adjustments.
Indeed, another little gem you can find in The One Thing book is the cycle of accountability figure. Have a look and think of it changing the “life happens” in the centre with the words “Impact happens” and notice where you stand.
We all create and have impact, whether we acknowledge it or not, that is how we started on this journey. To have real positive leadership impact you cannot play victim, you have to be accountable.
So to continue on this month of practice, make sure you have set your focus, you have your one thing that is working for you and you are taking responsibility for it. And then, we would absolutely love if you would share it with us.