At the beginning of a new year, we are predisposed to think more deeply about the year ahead, perhaps more than at other times in the year.  As leaders, I would like to challenge you to stop thinking about so many things – don’t think so big!

 

One adjustment to your attitude about your leadership could be the most powerful business strategy you use during 2012.  That adjustment has to do with creating a leadership mantra that expresses, ‘less is more’.

 

We’ve unconsciously bought in to the idea that the key to driving our business forward has to do with finding the latest, greatest management concept, or the right technology application, hire a superstar employee, or whatever magic bullet is currently on our radar.  When you think about it, never have we had so much information upon which to base our business decisions.  Are you using it?  Likewise, we have more technological solutions at our disposal than at any other time in our history – has the use of those technologies given you the competitive edge you need and desire?   Our ability to hire smart, highly skilled people, for the most part, is unparalleled.   So why is it that you’re not realizing the business success to which you aspire?

 

The problem is that very few of us actually do what we know! It is so much more attractive to keep learning new stuff, more stuff, than it is to take the time to become an expert with what you already know!   So, we don’t become experts in what we already know – we keep looking for the next big idea, the next breakthrough.   We are looking for quantum leaps, rather than taking continuous, small steps toward accomplishing mission-critical initiatives.

When the negative winds of the market place blow, our typical response is to hire a consultant, or, we read another book; we take another course; we buy another CD, or, my personal favourite... we just work harder, and hope to heavens that something, somehow, will change.  The irony of our behaviours is that if we slowed down our thinking, used the skills and information that we do have, create a plan, and then execute, we would realize far greater success than we enjoy at the moment.

 

A key learning for 2012 is to take what we already know, create action steps, and then commit to follow-through. Then we would create the results that we want and need in our businesses. We need to repeat this over and over to accomplish our business goals for the rest of the year.  This strategy requires that we filter our thoughts and actions through a positive mindset, and repeat the simple behaviours that probably brought us our success in the early days of our business leadership.