90 DAY ACTION PLANS: Preventing conflict by filling the narrative void
Any time we take on a major quest, we know we need a map to get us to where we’re headed. We need an itinerary, travel plan, GPS, and directions to get us safely to our destination.
But, as we learned at Triannual III, simply having the HOW is not enough. We can’t just plan for how we’ll get to where we’re headed, as humans, we also need to know WHY.
The world’s best leaders and storytellers are masters at communicating both the how and the why and they know it’s essential to cast a vision, outline a plan and detail our path to the destination so people know they can trust us as their leader and will be more willing to follow us on the quest. Our teams and direct reports need to know we have a strategy in place to dictate where we’re going and what we’re going to do to get them safely to the finish line.
Without that plan in place, people experience a “narrative void” – a lack of structure and meaning that leaves them feeling lost and listless. In the middle of that void, we may see an increase in conflict as other employees fight to fill the void with their own plans and strategies, dividing the focus of the team and creating a struggle between their secondary vision and what ultimately needs to be done.
As leaders, we can’t let our action plans stay locked in our minds, hidden on a bookshelf, or vaguely and infrequently shared with our team. We must regularly and clearly articulate the path forward and help our teams know we’ve got this, we’ve got them, and all of the work the quest requires will be worth it in the end.
We spent a great deal of time brainstorming the WHY of the move to the HCMD and came up with some incredible ideas as a leadership team. While these Why’s inspired us, we need to be sure we’re also communicating those bigger visions for our employees.
Your 90 day action plan listed the Pillar, Goal, Tactics, Measures of Success, and the Results you were seeking. It laid out the clear roadmap of HOW we’ll reach success in the next 3 months to maximize this season of growth and evolution.
But, when we’re rallying our teams to follow us to the summit, we also need to remember to communicate the WHY.
Giving more context on the greater purpose behind every action and strategy will not only help motivate our teams to join us on the quest to the summit, it will help sustain them through any trials and turbulence that may arise.
Spend a few minutes during your 10% Secret planning time this week to refine your 90 Day Action Plan and more clearly articulate the WHY.
Use this template to build out your action plan, articulate the Why, and track when and how you’ve communicated the plan to your team. Send weekly updates or use the first few minutes of your rounding and team meetings to share your vision and direction with your team. When they see the path forward and know why it matters, they will know they are in good hands on this quest and will be assured you are a leader they can trust.
RESILIENCE CHALLENGE: Investing in yourself to ensure you can better lead your team
Way back in Triannual I, we kicked off our quest with the importance of building resilience.
As we continue our quest to be better leaders and to guide our teams through the move to the HCMD, we must ensure we have enough strength in our own tank to sustain us along the way.
If we’re running on fumes and are tired, stressed, not taking care of our physical, mental, and emotional well-being, we’ll have nothing to give to our teams. We’ll end up frustrated, cranky, feeling burned out, and wanting to give up as leaders.
As we dive into this 90 day sprint to the finish line, we’ll need our reservoirs of strength to be overflowing so we don’t grow weary. Think of your resilience practice as the pit crew filling you up every few laps to help you keep racing hard to the finish line, or the water tent on the marathon sideline giving you exactly what you need to keep pushing.
Building resilience takes intentional commitment, but it doesn’t take much time to see major gains. Hal Elrod, author of the Miracle Morning, encourages leaders to spend one hour per day – the first hour of every day – devoted to our own self care and resilience. While an hour may not be feasible every day, even 15 minutes solely dedicated to your personal peace and well-being will help you immensely!
Here are a few simple tips to build more resilience in the middle of your busy life:
1) Miracle Morning: Elrod suggests a few moments of silence, affirmations, visualization, exercise, reading, and writing to kick off your day. If you can’t do all of those each morning, perhaps a slow cup of coffee as you journal can do the trick or a few minutes of stretching or walking outside in the fresh air can make a big impact.
2) 15 Minute Focus: try a 15 minute quiet-time sometime throughout the day where you’re planning, mapping your strategy, reviewing your action plan, and determining the next right step. As a leader, this high level strategic thinking will help you prevent the constant fire-fighting and keep more order, calm, and control in your day.
3) Power Hour: use the first working hour of the day with your email and phone notifications turned off and tackle what’s most important. Starting with uninterrupted, focused time will help you (peacefully!) accomplish so much and feel like you’ve already won the day before it’s really begun.
4) Hourly Resilience Reminders: set a timer on your phone to go off every hour. Whenever your phone buzzes, take even 10-30 seconds for a deep, long breath, reset your posture, think of something that makes you happy, and remember your Why. Tiny resets throughout the day will keep you steady and calm when life tries to throw you off course.
5) Miracle Evening: While Elrod suggests you use the first hour of the day so you can protect your resilience time before life gets in the way, some people may benefit from an evening resilience practice. Perhaps you and your spouse can spend a half hour chatting after dinner, you can play a game with your kids before diving into the dishes, or you can get away to read a good book or take a long bubble bath.
**Don’t forget to get to sleep on time, too! Sleep is one of our most powerful opportunities to rebuild and recharge. If prioritizing sleep is the only thing you can do, you’ll still see tremendous effects.
Whatever you do to build your resilience, know that this time is essential to helping you become the best leader you can be. You’ve got to have your own strength and calm available to help guide your team well and deliver exceptional care to your patients. You simply can’t give what you don’t have, and committing to your personal resilience will help you be your best and better navigate stress.
SHARE YOUR WINS! 🎉 🎉
How are you doing on building your personal resilience? What habits and practices are helping you to better serve your team and your patients? Let us know what’s working great and where you still need more insights and tools to improve your leadership. We’re here to help with anything you’re facing and always ready to cheer you on!