{"id":10108,"date":"2015-12-15T08:30:27","date_gmt":"2015-12-15T14:30:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/scary-silk.flywheelsites.com\/?p=10108"},"modified":"2015-12-15T08:30:27","modified_gmt":"2015-12-15T14:30:27","slug":"good-leaders-whats-the-biggest-project-of-your-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/goodleadership.com\/good-leaders-whats-the-biggest-project-of-your-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Good Leaders: What’s the biggest project of your life?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"This
This IT executive team met in Chicago last week to plan the biggest project of their careers. My colleague, Peter, and I are grateful to be involved.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Over the course of a career, every leader looks back and sees one particular project as the biggest project of their life. \u00a0So, how would you lead differently if you knew that truth in the moment?<\/p>\n

When a global company decides to sell off its largest division, the \u201cseparation process\u201d is a colossal undertaking for the IT professionals. Imagine if the Federal Government of the United States of America decided to split into two countries within 12 months — and your job was to make sure both countries had all of the data they needed to run their government smoothly on Day-One of the separation. Tax ID numbers, Social Security, Medicare, Employment and Criminal History, Federal Court cases past and present, etc,, etc,, etc.\u2026 \u00a0It\u2019s a project so big, it’s impossible for 99% of the population to even imagine.<\/p>\n

Oh yeah, and you may not have\u00a0a job in either country when this historic endeavor is complete. How’s that for a challenge?<\/p>\n

Leading Change<\/b><\/p>\n

\"The
The view from our downtown Chicago planning meetings last week: a window into the world of leading change on a global scale.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Last week our team spent three days in Chicago helping a Fortune 50 company plan this endeavor. No, it\u2019s not the size of the US Federal Government \u2013 but it\u2019s close. And the leader of this team was wise enough to realize he needed help with three very important objectives:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Help make every hour count<\/li>\n
  2. Get more done, with less effort, through\u00a0great teamwork<\/li>\n
  3. Help each individual leader grow, so they could find a great job for themselves on the back-end of this project<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    With projects this large, it\u2019s both the big things and the little things that are important. Good leaders<\/a> need to think ahead to anticipate the \u201cpressure points\u201d that will create havoc on the emotional systems of the organizations \u2013 and also the untimely one-on-one interactions with employees from all levels who are confused, stressed, or angry with the disruption.<\/p>\n

    \"Change
    Change impacts people in the organization differently: this flip chart helped the “leaders” see how the “followers” react differently.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Once-in-a-lifetime projects don\u2019t come easy. There will be competing priorities, 18-hour work days, and missed holidays. There will be customers who don\u2019t like the plan, leaders who won\u2019t embrace the change, and people who won\u2019t get along. But isn\u2019t that leadership?<\/p>\n

    Blending the Seven Fs<\/b><\/p>\n

    With only three days for the “planning retreat”, we can\u2019t boil the ocean. The best possible outcomes from an urban leadership retreat are simple: make sure we have a Compelling Plan<\/strong> the team can rally around, develop a set of Shared Commitments<\/strong> to keep the team glued together, and identify Specific Strategies<\/strong> to help the individual leaders stay resilient. That’s where the Seven Fs<\/a> fit in! We did our best to create a retreat plan that included moments of insight and growth for the team around: faith, family, finances, fitness, friends, fun and future. And we formed around these important questions:<\/p>\n

    \"Blending
    Blending the Seven Fs helps leaders stay positive in difficult times.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n