WHAT IS MOST IMPORTANT, RIGHT NOW?

“We have come to believe that beautiful questions actually do reveal beautiful answers. If we Christians really believed that beautiful questions are far more important than well-crafted answers, our mission with people would be far more effective”

Joel Van Dyke and Kris Rocke

The most important job of a coach (or really any leader) is framing the conversation. Asking the right questions helps frame the conversation and chart a course forward. A simple frame is to create a 90 day goal. While a 90 day goal can focus on anything and most likely create momentum in multiple areas of life, a helpful question during our current discontinuous change environment is “What is most important, right now?”  

Patrick Lencioni calls the answer to this question the thematic goal, and he explains, “the point here is that every organization, if it wants to create a sense of alignment and focus, must have a single top priority within a given period of time.” The thematic goal is one that is focused, specific, time bound and shared across the organization. The thematic goal can be seen as a rallying cry. A good way to frame the discussion of the thematic goal is,

“If we accomplish only one thing during the next x months, what would it be? In other words, what must be true x months from now for us to be able to look back and say with any credibility that we had a good period?”

Patrick Lencioni

The time frame for a thematic goal should be between three and twelve months. I suggest shorter time frames during this time of discontinuous change. The shorter goals allow for more learning and application of that learning into appropriate interventions. 90 day cycles allow for the iterative process of adaptive leadership.

Is it time to invest in yourself by hiring a coach? It has been a rough year, and challenges will continue (of one kind or another). Having a coach frame the conversation will free you up to get moving again. By focusing on what is important right now, you create intention and momentum. Let me know if you are ready to get some coaching and make progress on your goals.