How to make it happen!
Making IT happen is about creating a Results Only Work Environment – ROWE. Being creative always involves doing something – and doing something is about Making It Happen. Based on Scott Belsky’s book, Making Ideas Happen he proposes that the following preconditions exist in order to make ideas happen:
- Organise everything around actions: this starts with establishing “actionable agendas”, agendas that focus the discussion on identifying what needs to be accomplished. It also means ending each meeting with each person present sharing a review of what actions they undertake to do. Then as the leader, follow up relentlessly to ensure completion is in progress. A relentless bias towards action pushes ideas forward.
- Harness the forces around you: this is about real collaboration. Real collaboration means asking and not telling. It means being prepared to listen and be open to being influenced by others. Collaboration is not about preserving best practice but rather seeking better practices.Collaboration is about securing ownership.If you as a leader fail to share ownership you’ll also fail to get those around you to care.
- Leading yourself and others: first and foremost it’s about removing the greatest obstacles to success – fear, insecurity and self imposed limitations. It’s about managing your community of collaborators. Leading others means helping others capture the benefits of failure. Above all else, it’s about the relentless focus on action and holding others accountable for what they have committed to doing in order to make it happen.
I invite you share your success in how you have created an action focused work environment and how you make ideas happen. I look forward to your ideas.
