There are many ways to share principles that you believe work. One approach is to try to convince people that following certain principles will deliver positive results.
Another approach is to show rather than tell. It is to do a specific project where you can follow these principles and get positive results. You can then share these principles by producing a success story.
People buy success rather than the theory of success. They are therefore more likely to follow principles that can help themselves or other people to achieve success. Let’s how it is possible to follow this approach.
The Preparation
Imagine you want to follow the positive projects approach in your own way. The first steps may be:
To clarify the specific kind of project that you would like to focus on delivering;
To clarify the specific principles that you believe can deliver positive results when doing this kind of project.
Different people will obviously focus on different kinds of projects. Here are some of the topics that a person may want to do in their life or work.
The Project – The specific kind of project
that I would like to focus on would be:
How to improve a process … How to do successful turnarounds … How to build superb teams … How to help parts of an organisation to deliver success.
How to provide great customer service … How to use technology to improve people’s lives … How to get the right balance between high tech and high touch.
How to help dyslexic children to build on their strengths … How to encourage people to take care of their health … How to regenerate the High Streets.
Imagine that you have chosen a specific topic you want to focus on. You may aim, for example, to do a project that shows people another way of living or working.
If you wish, try tackling the exercise on this theme. This invites you to complete the following sentence.
The Project – The specific kind of
project I would like to do would be:
* To …
The next step will be to clarify the principles you believe can deliver positive results when doing this kind of work. Whilst you may still be at the preparation stage, you may want to try completing the following sentence.
The Principles – The specific principles that I believe can
deliver positive results when doing this kind of project are:
* To …
* To …
* To …
Let’s assume that you have done some provisional work on the kind of project you would like to do. It can then be time to move on to the next theme.
The Project
The next step will be to find or create such a project. The way you do this may depend on whether you are a full-time employee, a freelancer or doing a project in your free time.
Whatever your employment status, however, it may be important to do the following things:
To do a project that will benefit certain stakeholders – such as individuals, an organisation or customers;
To find a place where you can do the project and have a good chance of delivering positive results;
To set specific goals, find the necessary support and then do your best to achieve the picture of success.
Bearing these things in mind, let’s explore how you can translate some of these into action.
You can set specific goals
and show the benefits
Imagine that you aim to do a specific project. The next step will be to clarify the specific goals you want to achieve. You can then translate these into a clear picture of success.
People buy success rather than the theory of success. Bearing this in mind, it may also be important to show the benefits – to all the various stakeholders – of achieving the goals.
If you wish, try tackling the exercise on this theme. This invites you to complete the following sentences.
You can set things up to succeed
Great workers set things up to succeed. The way they do this will depend on the specific situation and the project they aim to do. If they work in an organisation, for example, they will need:
To make clear contracts with the key decision makers about the specific goals to achieve – the picture of success;
To agree on the key strategies to follow to achieve the picture of success;
To get the required support that will help them to deliver the agreed picture of success.
One key point is worth bearing in mind when doing a project. It is to focus on the fertile ground – rather than the frozen ground – where it is most likely to achieve success.
When working in an organisation, for example, it is to build on the places where there is positive energy. You can then work with people who are positive, professional and willing to help to deliver the picture of success.
Imagine that a person has made clear contracts with the decision makers but may also need help from other people in the organisation. The decision makers can then help to set things up to succeed.
The CEO, for example, can send an email to people in the organisation that says something along the following lines.
The Name Of The Project Is …
As you know, we are aiming to follow certain strategies to help our organisation to continue to achieve success. As part of these strategies we will be doing a specific project that focuses on the areas of …
The specific goals of the project are … The specific benefits of achieving these goals will be …
I have asked (The Person’s name) … to lead this project. Bearing in mind the importance of the project, I would like you and your team to provide them with the support they need to deliver the project successfully.
As I said, the project can play a vital part in helping us to shape a successful future. Let me know if you have any questions about the project. I look forward to us being able to work well together to deliver the project successfully.
Great workers are often positive realists and do another exercise before moving in action. Bearing in mind what they can control in the situation, they do the following things.
They rate – on a scale 0-10 – the present probability of them being able to deliver the project successfully … They describe the specific things they can do to maintain or improve the rating.
If appropriate, you can do this exercise in your own way. This invites you to complete the following sentences.
The Principles
Let’s assume that you have set specific goals and done everything you can to set up the project to succeed. It will then be time to move into action and do superb work.
Imagine that you want to do this by following the principles that either you believe in or have agreed with the backers of the project. It will then be important to translate these into action.
The principles you follow may depend, of course, on the work you are doing. You may be doing a project that involves helping people, delivering customer service building a successful prototype or doing another activity.
If you wish, try tackling the exercise on this theme. This invites you to describe the principles you want to follow plus how you can translate these into action and do superb work.
The Positive Results
Great workers do their best to deliver the desired results. This sometimes involves them taking the following steps on the way towards achieving the picture of success.
They get some quick successes and proactively keep the key stakeholders informed about the progress towards achieving the goals.
They keep performing superb work, find solutions to challenges and focus on continuous improvement.
They achieve the agreed goals, add that touch of class and, when appropriate, pass on knowledge to help other people achieve success.
It can be useful to share what has been learned from doing the project. Different people do this in different way. One approach is for them to produce a success story along the following lines.
There are many ways to share principles that you believe work. One approach is to try to convince people that following certain principles will deliver positive results.
Another approach is to show rather than tell. It is to do a specific project where you can follow these principles and get positive results. You can then share these principles by producing a success story.
Let’s return to your own life and work. Looking ahead, can you think of a situation where you may want to follow elements of the positive projects approach? How can you do this in your own way?
If you wish, try tackling the exercise on this theme. This invites you to complete the following sentences.
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