4 Steps to Defining the Win
There’s a downpour of challenges and a drought of people ready to rise.
People who run from new challenges might complain, but they prefer losing.
Why people don’t rise to new challenges:
People never rise to an ambiguous challenge. Before you call people to rise to new challenges, define the win.
“Let’s do better,” offends people who believe they’re doing their best. “Let’s work harder,” frustrates people who are working hard.
A vague definition of winning never inspires.
4 steps to defining the win:
- Go negative before going positive. Feel the pain before calling people to rise. Describe the future if you don’t change. For example, “What will be true next month, if we keep doing the same things? People need to feel the need for change before you call them to rise.
- Paint a picture of the rising sun. What will be true if we make this difficulty or frustration better? ‘Reaching the numbers’ isn’t a rising sun! A rising sun is about people. What will be true for people if you succeed?
- Focus on immediate opportunities. What does it mean to rise TODAY? You might ask, “If I walked into your area and saw you rising to this challenge, what would I see you doing?” Talk is important. Behaviors change things.
- Call people to rise to new behaviors. I hope you enjoy an unsatisfying present if you aren’t willing to adopt new behaviors. Be specific, relevant, and actionable. If you can’t see it, it doesn’t matter.
Challenge:
It’s delightful to talk about changing others.
We hide behind blaming others. You get to raise your hands in noble exasperation and say, “I can’t force people to change.” But you can CHANGE YOURSELF.
If you prefer a painful present, get out of leadership.
Why don’t people rise to new challenges?
What might you add to the four steps to define the win?
A lot of the failures I’ve seen around these kinds of discussions arise because it isn’t about people. People don’t actually figure in the discussion. Corporate entities, companies, teams, they figure. Individuals, not so much.
The other thing is that often the win, once you look closely, isn’t much of a win. “If you adopt these new behaviours, the future will feel exactly like it does now, but with more effort. If you don’t the future will be much worse”. It might be true, but as an advertising strategy, it’s a bit niche…
Thanks Mitch. It’s normal to focus on the lesser aspect of the win, just the numbers. That’s a short-term inhumane way to lead an organization. As long as leaders are rewarded for short-term wins that disregard long-term consequences people will suffer.
I like the term medium-term wins. I feel like it has more room to include the human factor.
Dan, I particularly like your comments
–People never rise to an ambiguous challenge.
–People need to feel the need for change before you call them to rise.
I would add–describe how people will feel after after achieving the WIN!
Thanks Paul. The ‘feeling’ aspect of life and leadership is often neglected. Your reminder is helpful.
There were some quotes in here that caused me to pause. The first was “people who run from challenges . . . prefer losing.” It feels harsh but true. It reminds me of the stoic maxim, the obstacle is the way. Often we need to face our challenges and consider what work we may be avoiding because it isn’t pleasant.
The other quote was “If you prefer a painful present, get out of leadership”. I’m not sure I agree, or perhaps I’m looking at it the wrong way. In my mind, leaders opt to sacrifice / work / endure now, to create a less painful future. Of course, you may just mean that if you’re willing to endure the pain of the present without trying to fix it, then yes, get out of leadership. As always, thank you for your insights.
Thanks John. Your reflections are useful and insightful. I respect the way you mull things over.
The ‘loser’ sentence makes me uncomfortable also. I’ve found that uncomfortable sentences can be useful, even when someone disagrees.
Re: painful-present-sentence. Your second approach is the way I intended. Your thoughts on being willing to sacrifice are important.