How To Know You’re Done

One of the most common problems I see in teams is an unclear definition of “done.”Done means it’s on its way to the customer.Its out the door, out of your hands, and ready to be tampered with.Done does not mean you did all the work and all you have left is to test it.Done does not mean you made a good effort and you’re waiting on something else to happen.Done does not mean you wrote the email and all you have to do is send it.Done is shipped.Done is tested.Done is ready for the store shelf.When we define done in this way, we make give excuses, impediments, and dependencies a run for their money.

2 Minute Action:

Whats something that you finished but isn’t “done” yet?What happened? What would it take to check the box and take it off your worry-list?Right now, describe the difference between what one task would look like as “done.”Some teams even go as far as to define “finished” differently from “done” so as to highlight this difference on a scrum board.What’s a difference between down and finished?Your output will increase, just by defining this.

1% Vision and 99% . . . .

It's not hard work.It's not a tribe of mentors.It's not a monthly subscription to Harvard Business Review or a bank account flush with cash.It's not a Ph.D., it's not a good night's sleep, and it's definitely not the new Bowflex you just bought.You've heard that it's 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration, but the amount of hours you're putting in isn't as important . . .It's alignment.Are your behaviors aligned with your vision?Is your team aligned with where you're going?You can work hard for 40 years, but if you're pointed in the wrong direction, the distance you've traveled means nothing.So have your vision and commit to the work, but don't forget to align your values and behaviors to the outcome.

2 Minute Action:

Where would you like to be in 5 years?Be specific. Car, house, job, title, salary, partner, teammates.How much do you travel? Where do you go? Who do you see? What do you say?Are you pointed in this direction? What is misaligned?What habits will you have to kick? Which ones will you have to start?Can you do it all at once? Which one is most important?Can you live with yourself for not doing it all at once?It's up to you how you get through this, but your brain has a lot of power over how you frame all of this.Remember that big, hairy, audacious goals are always made up of lots of small, actionable things."A year from now, you'll wish you had started today." - Karen LambCrush it, today.

Identify Your Happiness Behavior

We all know that material things don’t bring us lasting happiness.What’s interesting is that experiences seem to have more of an impact. (citation)When we’ve experienced something, we tend to make it part of our story. It’s also amplified by the power of social connection.It becomes part of our identity!Now here’s the cool part:If you just take an extra second, you can define what the experience is.Once you do, you now have a line item with a box next to it that you can check.Instead of saying I want to be “x” type of person, it may be more useful to list some of the things that “x” type of people do.

2 Minute Action:

Go ahead.Make a list of things that “x” type people do.Congrats.You now have your to-do list.Focus on the outcome and you will fail.Focus on the behavior alone and you will be on your way.Start today. You’ve got this.