Getting “It” Done

Here we are, just going into the quietest part of summer (or the dead of winter, depending on your hemisphere). It’s a time when business moves s-l-o-w-l-y.

It can make Type A’s crazy.

You can of course, use the next month to position yourself as a free agent for the coming year.

But, if you already have your vision firmly emblazoned in your brain—or your Type A-ness is begging you to focus on the immediately tangible instead—let’s talk about getting “it” done. And by “it”, I mean your game-changing next step to move the needle. A book perhaps, or a digital training series, new website or blog. “It” is big and bold.

Confession: I sometimes find this challenging to do for myself (see creators below), even though I regularly shepherd clients through the process with great success. But I have learned a few tips from dealing with a wide variety of content-creators. Think no-magic, work-how-you’re-wired advice.

For creators: You have hundreds of ideas, where others have one or two. Your challenge is to avoid the “shiny new ball syndrome”—just pick one idea and focus, holding yourself to a deadline. Yes, you can and will edit yourself and yes, the end product may look nothing like what you originally envisioned. But the only way you’ll work it out is by, well, working on it. Your secret code is to start and stick with it.

For executers. You are brilliant at execution (your list-making skills are nothing short of extraordinary), but hatching fresh ideas is intimidating. Unlike the creator who can generate non-stop ideas in a vacuum, you may need a partner-in-crime to brainstorm. At the very least, you’ll have to add creative thinking time to your to-do list to force yourself into deep-focus mode. The good news? Once you’ve got your one idea, you are unstoppable.

For sales mavens: Taking something complex and making it simple is hard-wired into your DNA. Creating original content? Not so much. Your challenge is to sit still long enough to create. Your best bet? Team up—you value relationships and work better with other points of view to riff on. Hiring yourself some creative talent may be just the spark you need.

The bottom line: no matter your wiring, you can create a game-changer.

Can’t wait to see it.

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