"Manage Like There Will Be A Tomorrow”

This is the fourth part in a four-part series designed to give managers and leaders constructive insights to navigate these difficult times. Come back to the blog next Monday for new posts on different themes related to personal and professional development. As always, if the writing supports and inspires you – please share it with friends and colleagues.

Part three described the specific barriers that that managers and leaders need to see right now in order to limit the reach and impact of the current business crisis. Part four will bring this special blog series together in the form of an action plan for immediate progress.

Part Four

In Part One, you made the shift and began to move forward confidently to “Manage Like There Will Be A Tomorrow.” In part two, we identified the reasons that continuous learning and performance is a matter of survival during these difficult times. We left off in Part Three with a powerful list of some of the more prominent obstacles to continuous learning and performance. So now what?

Now, let's put it all together. If you are going to manage like there will be a tomorrow, you have to plan for it. I've heard it said that the best way to predict the future is to create it. Part four is designed to help you take the first few steps toward creating the future you want. Specifically, we’ll go through a brief, guided facilitation to help you put together a game plan for February – a few key action steps for the Next 20 - 30 Days.

When wrestling with a big goal or challenge, it can help to break it down in smaller pieces. In that spirit, let's take the first step and brainstorm a commitment statement that captures what matters most to you about “Managing Like There Will Be A Tomorrow:”

I Am Committed To: _________________________

Now, write down two or three important objectives for the next month. These can relate to the kind of attitude and motivation you hope to maintain, or they can be specific to addressing some of the barriers to learning and performance we identified in Part Three.

Key Objectives:
1. ______________________________________
2. ______________________________________
3. ______________________________________

Next, for each of these objectives, list the first two action steps that will lead to achieving the objective:

Objective #1 -
Action Step (A): _______________________________
Action Step (B): _______________________________

Now, continue this action planning step for your additional objectives as well. And finally, put some timelines to each of the action steps so that you being to instill some basic accountability and measures of success. Even a basic action plan like this can help you move from great ideas to real changes. There is also something very powerful about putting pen to paper and creating a graphic form of our inner goals and commitments.

Remember, when everything around us falls away, what remains is what is true for us. Our values are the silent, but powerful, guiding forces that shape our experience. Our values are what we must rely on. As you move forward, Managing Like There Will Be A Tomorrow, I encourage you to embrace what is true to you. If people matter most, then put others first. If you want to stretch and grow, then take risks. Follow the path and see where it leads...