Section 2: “Sorting the Chaos”
This section breaks down information from general business problems into suggested components. It also lists the questions to ask ourselves so that we remain focused and productive.
Suggested information compartments:
- Mandate
- Plan
- Team
- Execution
- Personal
Chapter 7: “What Is the Mandate?”
- “Why are we here?” (Vision, mission, agenda, etc.)
- So that we don’t lose track and get mesmerised by less important things
- “Are there any misalignments?”
- Stay relevant or risk losing importance/usefulness.
- “Can we work with this mandate?”
- Does the mandate express the leadership team’s best thinking?
- Can everyone understand this?
- Can mandate -> plan?
Chapter 8: “What Is the Plan?”
- “What are the specific objectives that begin to move a company towards its mandate?”
- Mandate alone is too vague; we need to break it down into goals.
- “What are the specific initiatives that will help achieve the objectives?”
- Initiatives are more granular. Completing them helps meet these less granular goals.
- “What is the timeline?”
- Assess feasibility and value.
- “What assets are required, and are they available?”
- Assess feasibility and value.
- “What are the risks we will be facing?”
- For adjusting expectations and prioritising between many initiatives
Chapter 9: “What Is the Team?”
- “What capabilities do we need?”
- Going for “who” instead of “what” can lead to an imbalanced team. This can introduce performance bottlenecks.
- “What are the mindsets of the team members?”
- Do the people’s personal agendas align with the mandate?
- Can these personal agendas exist in harmony?
- “What are the roles of the team members?”
- So that we can be certain that whatever capabilities we need, we have them covered
- To build a balanced team
- “Will this assignment be good for the individuals on the team?”
- Whether the project excites and motivates people
- Whether opportunities for personal development are open. Examples: Information sharing, leadership, mentorship, etc.
- “What are the inescapable realities?”
- Sometimes, we don’t have access to the exact talent we need. We need to make the best out of what we have.
- “How is the chemistry?”
- Hard skills and soft skills
- “What are the consequences of performance?”
- Shared understanding of success and failure
Chapter 10: “How Will We Get It Done?”
- “How are we making decisions?”
- Not “who” or “when” but “how”.
- “Are we getting the right information at the right time?”
- “How do we manage complexity?”
- “Do we have a rhythm?”
- Hold regular meetings instead of a flood of ad-hoc meetings.
- Need to know what to expect in each meeting. Have an agenda.
Chapter 11: “Is It Getting Personal?”
- “What does this person value?”
- This helps explain why people behave and decide in certain ways.
- “What are the individual’s personal aspirations?”
- So that we can be more sensitive to the slightest signs that an individual is going off the track.
- “How does this person interact with colleagues and others?”
- Helps us filter the important information from the noise.
- “What is the person’s level of self-awareness?”
- The greater the emotional maturity, the easier it is to listen to him/her.