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This world seems to reveal itself to me more each day. I am now at an age when taking a step back sometimes affords me a better view of the larger picture. People may liken this view to a batter in baseball who hits better in his third or fourth year. For him, the “game has slowed down.” He sees the arc of the curveball or the dip of the sinker better than in his younger days. Perhaps he hasn’t gotten better, but simply wiser. For me, I observe patterns that seem to repeat themselves over the years, not in the way a bitter old man might say, “It will never work, we tried that before,” but instead with certain “indicators” by which I can usually tell how things will go. I’ve also developed a bag full of measures and remedies to counteract the problematic stalls.
Following are three ways leaders can rally the troops and move things in a positive direction:
Set deadlines and adhere to them. I can almost guarantee an idea will fail if specific deadlines are not adhered to. This axiom holds true in one’s personal life as well as in business. I recall asking a girl out for the first time; when we appeared to hit it off, I would say, “We should get together sometime.” She might respond, “Yeah, that would be nice.” Later that week, I realized I now needed to “ask her out” again and work up to that comfort zone we had before. As I grew older, I learned instead to seize the moment and say something like, “I’m going to the basketball game Friday, and I always see you there. Meet me at the refreshment stand at halftime, and we can sit together for the second half.” Most of the time this elicited a positive response; it was a “soft” commitment. If I went to the refreshment stand at halftime and she wasn’t there, the message was clear, but if she was there, it was a solid indication she felt seeing me was worthwhile.