imapMyTeam Blog

Checking the Plan; Responding to Reality

“However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results”
                                                                                     ~Sir Winston Churchill.

The business climate today is demanding, unforgiving and sometimes brutal. Customers expect you to do more with less and do it right; the first time. Proactively checking your plans and responding to reality is an essential skill on the road to successful execution.

This week we encourage you to emulate Churchill and check the results of your plan, and as you ready yourself to respond to where you stand- consider the strengths of green and yellow usual behavior.

Using the imapMyTeam information we often describe the strength of the ‘greens’ [diamond symbol] as those who are flexible and externally oriented. They are good at making sure we understand the impact on others outside the immediate group including the customer.’ The opposite complimentary strength is the ‘yellows’ [diamond symbol]. They bring focus to the team and utilize ‘established guidelines and procedures’ (infrastructure) to make sure we move forward in an organized way.

For any game-plan to be successful we need people on the team who are able to be flexible and focused.  Most people are stronger in one characteristic than the other and some roles on teams are clearly defined to be one or another.

In the center pane pull down menu of www.imapmyteam.com ® there is a report titled: Team Player Strengths. This report is a set of adjectives that will describe many of your specific strengths.  As you read this list, do the descriptions suggest your strengths are to be more flexible or focused?  Which does your job require?

To personalize this exercise take into account how your strengths enable you to proactively respond to the realities of your work day.

 

If your strengths suggest flexibility, identify where you might need to apply some focus so you ensure that you complete your tasks.  If your strengths suggest focus, identify where in your work day you need to exercise more flexibility. 

Check your plan. Check your strengths. Do you need more flexibility or focus to deal with the realities of your work day?