Where do I start?
I was sitting procrastinating yesterday – you know one of those days where you really just can’t ‘get going’ and I picked up a discarded ball of string that had been left on the desk. Unusual item to have – how many people have string in their house these days? However, I have a daughter who is studying fashion and had obviously purchased it for some kind of creation! When I picked it up, I couldn’t find the end. It was tightly bound and could have been mistaken for a small toilet roll from a distance.
Nerves have often sent me to ‘procrastination station’ when embarking on a new project at work. Agreeing the starting point is often difficult and knowing where to start can feel a bit daunting. As I played with the ball of string, I was reminded of a number of projects that I’ve led in businesses, when I haven’t had a clue where to begin and I have felt completely overwhelmed when starting.
No one enjoys that feeling and no one takes any joy when projects go wrong. It was a breakfast networking event I attended which finally shone a light on how to approach projects, successfully execute them and overcome that feeling of being overwhelmed. At the breakfast session our speaker gave some practical hints and tips on project management. One of the simple tools he used was post-its and a brainstorming technique and planning exercise that I have adopted ever since.
It wasn’t particularly sophisticated, but it was so brilliant, I took it back to my organisation and trained all of our management team on the technique too. It transformed how we planned and executed projects. How? By simplifying our thought process, unravelling the ‘mess’ and identifying the starting point and the critical path (or thread) that we needed to follow to succeed. The biggest win? It took the fear out of starting – or procrastinating (!) – and helped us identify where to start.
As a leader, supporting the unravelling of ‘where to start’ and providing guidance and direction for your team is essential. Well executed projects are about having clear objectives, continual review and evaluation and great communication. If you don’t know where to start and can’t unravel what’s in front of you, you’re going to spend a lot of time looking at that ball of string!