W.I.N. Wednesday: More than a question. Make it the culture.
I spent a fun hour yesterday talking with Melissa Agnes (www.melissaagnes.com) for an episode of her Crisis Intelligence Podcast. We were speaking about the current challenges facing the law enforcement profession and much of the discussion centered around Life's Most Powerful Question - What's Important Now?
I believe the power of the question - What's Important Now? - comes from:
- Its simplicity, and
- Its diversity in application
As I reflected on our discussions it struck me that we need to make sure that we take What's Important Now? beyond seeing it as a powerful decision making tool and make it part of the culture of our organizations. How do you do that?
It starts with education. You need to make time to explain the question to people and give them simple, every day examples of how to use it in their personal and professional lives. Once people understand the question (and the acronym W.I.N.) you can start to make it part of the culture. How do you do that? Ask yourself What's Important Now? and:
- Ask More - Tell Less. At staff meetings, in training, in brain storming sessions instead of giving people the answer, ask them the question What's Important Now? Use the question to guide them to self discovery of the answer.
- Work with your training staff to help them understand the applications to the material they teach. Once the training staff are on board build W.I.N. into every training and education session taught in your organization.
- Create What's Important Now? posters and put them up around your offices and facilities. These posters can have What's Important Now? at the top and an important message below. Here are some ideas based on key messages from my presentations, "Have that courageous conversation.", "Dare to be Great.", "Embrace the pursuit of excellence.", "Your life IS your legacy.", "Take the blame and give away the credit.", "Excellence, not Perfection.", "What are we celebrating today?", "Do what is right. It is not always popular or expedient, but it is always what's right.", "Praise great effort." or "Focus on process, not outcome.". You can also use key messages from your mission statement or core values.
- Give out W.I.N. wristbands, which can serve as a constant reminder for people.
- Use What's Important Now? to help create the long term vision or mission for your team or organization. Then use What's Important Now? to identify what is important for you to do right now to take the first steps towards achieving that mission. Use W.I.N. in every part of the journey as a guide.
When you start to build What's Important Now? into every training session, every staff meeting, every planning session, every coaching session and every discussion, it will become the common language of the organization, it will serve as a rallying cry for the people in the organization and it will become part of the culture.
Take care.
Brian Willis
www.lifesmostpowerfulquestion.com
Maximizing human potential through Life's Most Powerful Question - What's Important Now?
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Contact me at winningmind@mac.com to arrange for me to speak to your team, your organization or at your next conference.
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