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| Learn the purpose behind the chart and the Blackberry. |
Ah-Ha! Moment – If you're like me, there's always one nagging item on your "To Do" list. An item which is meaty and could help the business – yet is not critical and gets pushed off "until there is time." That item for me – develop my thoughts around a particular idea, and present them to my staff as continuing professional education (CPE) at a Firm Meeting.
In late June, we set the date for our next Firm Meeting – September 28. In early September, I planned the meeting agenda with this item – "CPE – 1.5 hours – Content to be determined." The problem? I didn't have any ideas for relevant content! And then it hit me – this was a perfect opportunity to get that nagging, yet meaty, item done. Great – I finally had an idea!
I researched the topic and found material – some really on-target, much only indirectly related to my idea. I began to furiously jot down notes, organized my thoughts as best I could, and started producing my material. The problem? There was too much content, and even some of the better content was tangential to the main idea. Fortunately, one of my regular "thinking partners" reviewed my rough draft, offered some GREAT suggestions on triaging and reorganizing material, and developed the framework for a "class exercise" to illustrate the concept. Armed with all this, I was able to overhaul things and produce an outstanding presentation – which impressed even my hard-to-impress folks.
The lesson learned? When I tried to do it all myself and hit a mental roadblock, I greatly benefitted from having another viewpoint – which helped me add value to my staff, and ultimately to our clients.
