It’s time to get clear on what really matters!
Last year, after a tumultuous rollercoaster ride of a weekend where I almost committed myself to reshaping our life and putting ourselves under significant financial pressure…(if you’re thinking country real estate here you’d be right), I woke up on the Monday with the kind of clarity that only comes from reengaging with your true north. Fortunately, my husband had the same response!
Several awkward conversations with the real estate agent later, feeling a bit embarrassed and a bit sad as our fantasy life in the ‘country near the sea’ evaporated, we sat down to get really clear about what matters to us. Physically drawing up that list showed us what we intuitively knew in the morning – that while a country house near the sea is still on the horizon, doing it now right now would put at risk a whole lot of things that are more important to us.
Bad life decision averted but wouldn’t it have been so much better if we’d had that list top of mind before we got sidetracked by the bright, shiny alternative!
Lately, I’ve been thinking about some of my clients. Smart, focussed leaders and teams with a Vision statement and a Plan on a Page yet they too are often easily distracted and not at all aligned on what really matters to them.
Shortly after my bright, shiny distraction, I facilitated a strategy session for a tech business who found themselves dropping everything every time a potential buyer came by. I told them the story of the almost purchase and together we went through the ‘what matters’ exercise. What they realised is they had a certain criteria for selling the business and they weren’t at that point yet. The ‘what matters’ list gave them clarity on where their focus needed to be so the bright, shiny in the form of potential buyers, didn’t keep distracting them.
Whether personally or professionally being clear on what matters allows you to be flexible, to notice the market and quickly shift direction or approach, grabbing opportunities as they present themselves while still ensuring you’re not putting at risk the aspects of your life or your business that matter most.
I now facilitate this exercise with almost every team I work with. It brings people together, they acknowledge the different aspects of what matters to each of them and their business, and they look for alignment.
Try it for yourself for work or personally.