A “what” without a “how” is like a car without gas.
My “what” statement:
What I’m doing in life is adding value to others in ways consistent with who I am and that energize me. Sounds great but it’s comfortably ambiguous.
Asking how:
“What” is not enough.
Asking how I can add value moves me from pie in the sky to rubber hits the road. That’s what I did while driving home yesterday. “What” determines destination. “How” explains action.
The first “how”:
Five “hows” that give feet to my “what”.
- Encourage, nurture, support, and believe in my wife.
- Help others know themselves by listening for their values and creating or exploring meaningful opportunities that express their values.
- Help others to say the hard things about their performance.
- Because I’m a talker, I’ll talk less and listen more.
- Find people with passion and help them enhance their value.
The second “how”:
The first how helps but doesn’t go far enough. For example, how will I encourage my wife? Or, how will I focus on people with passion?
I’ll encourage my wife by cleaning the kitchen. That’s no impotent mirage that makes me feel like I’ve done something when I haven’t.
How will I find people with passion? I’ll gravitate toward frustrated people and see if I can fuel their fire.
Take action:
Leaders always focus on “what” first. But without two “how” questions you’ll stagnate.
You may be wondering, what about “why”? That’s a good question for another day. Today is “how” day.
“How” can you add value today?