For the past two weeks, we’ve been talking about what motivates you, and what motivates others. But once you find out those things, what happens next? What should you do with that new-found insight? Was it just ‘nice to know’ stuff? Or are you prepared to do something with it? We’d like to encourage you to use it to reflect, plan, act, repeat. Let’s talk about what that looks like.
A friend of mine (let’s call her Jasmine) has been doing some soul-searching. She has spent a lot of time thinking about what she really wants from her business and why that’s important to her. She’s started talking with colleagues about their own journeys. Where should she go from here?
Reflect.
Jasmine has gained new insights. It’s inspired her to act. But wait! Don’t skip this critical step (or the next one)! Reflection is where the magic happens. Jasmine could sit down, pull out a piece of paper, and start writing. Maybe she places her own motivators in circles and those of a few colleagues in circles. Where are there connections? Where is there overlap? She should look for the common sources of motivation.
Plan.
“Failing to plan is planning to fail.”—Benjamin Franklin.
Where do these commonalities point to opportunities? One of the things Jasmine realized motivated her was collaboration. She feels lonely sometimes, doing her business alone. In talking to other coaches, she found that they, too, long for collaboration at times. She began to imagine concrete ways to make that come to life.
Act.
Jasmine’s musings could have remained confined to that paper. Reaching out to ask for what you need can be daunting. By talking to her colleagues about her interest in collaboration and acknowledging that she heard them say that, too, Jasmine creates opportunities. A couple weeks later, a colleague she’d spoken with had one come up. Jasmine was the first person that colleague thought of.
Repeat.
The most effective people I know engage in this process regularly. They carve out time in their calendars on a regular basis to reflect and plan. It’s not just specifically tied to reflecting on what motivates you and others. Reflection and planning are critical for ongoing evaluation. It’s the method for making sure you’re on the right path in the big scheme as well as the daily grind. Doesn’t that belong on your schedule?
