Juggling Elephants Blog

I recently did a Juggling Elephants training program where in the audience there were a group of strategic planners for the corporation. It was their job to work with executives to create the strategic blueprints for their business and measure the progress in accomplishing specific goals. They had tools and spreadsheets they used to lay out metrics, create milestones and measure movement.

As I was talking about purpose and setting goals one of these strategic planners raised his hand and said that he had created a spreadsheet that he uses for his Personal Strategic Planning. "There's an idea!," I thought. Why not create a "strategic plan" for your personal life? Lay out metrics, create milestones, gather feedback from your "customers" (significant others, co-workers, etc.) and measure advancement towards your personal goals and how you are aligned to your purpose. You could even graph it! What a great visual a personal strategic plan would be to see how well you are progressing towards achieving your dreams.

Labels: planning, purpose, strategic planning

I was astounded to read of the innovations made by companies like Nike, Reebok and other gear companies in preparation for the Summer Olympics. They included things like:

• Replacing a shoe's heavy structural materials with support threads (think steel cables on a suspension bridge).
• Swimsuits that compress a swimmer's body at key points to reduce "form drag," making the swimmer smaller and faster.
• Zoned venting in certain athlete's outfits
• Adjustable screw in spurs that can be raised or lowered on an equestrian's boots. (It reduces about 4 pounds of weight per boot)

A call out quote on the last page of the article caught my attention. It read, "Innovation isn't helpful unless it's tied to a powerful company that drives it somewhere." A Juggling Elephants application of that quote might be Purpose isn't helpful unless it's tied to a lineup that drives it somewhere.

We can clearly identify our purpose and create all kinds of value statements or desired outcomes, but if we don't create a disciplined plan of action that carries it out, we are fooling ourselves. Nike, Reebok and other companies know that for the athletes to win using their gear, they have to expend every possible resource to help make it happen. Does your lineup reflect a desire to have some "winning moments" in the coming days?

Read the entire article in Fast Company.

Labels: lineup, purpose

Tiger Woods, arguably the best golfer in the world, recently won the US Open. Not a surprise, except that he had knee surgery earlier this year and had not been cleared by his doctor to play. Tiger did not heed his doctor's advice, played in the tournament, and won... and lost. Tiger re injured his knee and will now miss the rest of the 2008 season. Mistake? No. Not if his clear purpose was to win the US Open.



One of our most passionate points in Juggling Elephants is that we must act with purpose to accomplish those things that are most important to us. We just can not get everything done and accomplish all that life offers us. We must pick and choose the most important things. The flip side of that strategy is that acting with purpose also means we will "lose" something in the pursuit of those most important things.



I talked with a business owner last week who said, "My business has not been as successful as some would say it could have been over the years, but I wasn't willing to sacrifice more time away from my family. I'm happy with how things have turned out." Again, acting with purpose has rewards-and consequences.



What about you? If you acted with purpose more often, what would you gain? And what would you lose? And would the win be worth the loss?

Labels: purpose

It is strange. When most of us think of having security, we think of things NOT changing. The reality is that we are confusing the word "security" with "comfort." Most of us are comfortable when things are not changing, but rather staying the same. Apply the concept to the key areas of your life:
-Would you rather be comfortable in your job, or secure in it?
-Would you rather be comfortable in your relationships, or secure in them?
-Would you rather be comfortable with yourself, or take steps to be more secure as an individual?

Bottom line-how does your lineup for today or this week reflect your desire to be "secure" or "comfortable?"

Labels: purpose

When your circus seems out of control, ask yourself: "Do ALL these acts contribute to accomplishing my purpose-or have they been added to my lineup due to convenience, procrastination or simply the inability to say 'No?'"

Labels: focus, purpose

On the way to a program in Dallas, Texas I recently read an article about Identity Theft. But this article took a different slant on the topic. The author spoke not of someone stealing our credit card numbers and social security numbers but of the loss of our personal goals, dreams, potential and identity.

Sometimes we try to be someone we are not or we forget our potential and settle for mediocrity. I am all for bettering myself but sometimes we should not be afraid to be ourselves and follow our own goals. We need to identify our personal "purpose" and then wrap our daily, weekly, monthly, yearly and lifetime activities around that purpose. We should not be afraid to dream and push ourselves to achieve. We are faced with a lot of negative "self-talk" and it is easy lose that identity that we should have. I encourage each of us to continue to remind ourselves of our potential, standards that we set for ourselves and not be afraid to reach for the stars. After all, we ARE the Ringmaster of OUR circus.

Labels: purpose

One of my favorite songs is Live Like You Were Dying by Tim McGraw. You can click here for the lyrics. It helps me clarify my lineup when I'm trying to juggle elephants (yes, I still try from time to time).

It might be morbid but why not begin with the ultimate end in mind and write your own eulogy. What do you want to be remembered for? What do you want said and written about you? What accomplishments do you want to have achieved? Lay it out in detail. Review it on a regular basis and don't be afraid to edit, delete and add to it.

Labels: purpose

In the Time Magazine article, "Fine Fast Food", Steve Ells, the founder of Chipotle Mexican Grill tells the story of his success. It's a great read about staying true to your purpose and always striving to improve.

The most telling quote about his success, to me, came near the end of the article. Ells writes, That's why we have been so successful. They [customers] have finally found a fast-food restaurant that has respect-for them, for their taste buds, for their sense of aesthetics, for service, for its employees and for its suppliers.

It's easy to discount some of the needs of the performers in our circus, whether it's at work or home. It takes a tremendous effort on our part and often sacrifice of some of our own needs-for a period of time to keep others fully engaged. As Ells shows in his article, however, the work can lead to a fantastic payoff for everyone. Ole'!

Labels: chipotle, purpose, teamwork

In training programs on Juggling Elephants, we talk about the need to focus on your purpose, and use the definition of "desired intent or outcome." Well, if you wanted the outcomes of:

• No housekeeping
• No laundry to wash
• No cooking to do
• No heating or cooling bills

What act should be in your lineup? Why, living in a motel for 22 years. Here's the link to the story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070911/od_afp/lifestylebritainhoteloffbeat

This couple definitely stayed true to their purpose. What are you willing to do (or say "No" to) to stay true to your purpose?

Labels: choices, purpose