Leadership in Haiti: Haitians on Small Steps

I’m sure, like me, many of you have been listening daily to interviews with the many tragic victims of Haiti. Just yesterday I was listening to a gentleman who had lost his leg, his home, his son, and his livelihood. How could things get any worse? His greatest fear as he hobbled along with his new crutches was that after years of having a successful living in construction – he would now have to depend on other people to survive.

How absolutely terrifying. In a land where tens of thousands are trying to survive as we speak – to be in a position where you have to depend on others. Yet, he could still laugh in this interview while he mentioned his philosophy of ‘one day at a time’ – get through this day, tomorrow will be another. A philosophy I’ve heard from many Haitians while sharing with the world their personal tragedy.

It never fails – one small step at a time – seems to be the global strategy for dealing with any kind of hardship – or personal challenge. Focus on the ‘here and now’ when looking ahead is just way too overwhelming. That way hopefully when you look forward again – all those small steps will have taken you to a peak.

Lead like a Superbowl Coach - Quick and Dirty checklists

Quick and Dirty checklists

So who do you think is going to win – the Saints or the Colts? I can’t imagine the amount of preparation the coaches and players are going through right now for Superbowl XLIV!

Like every thing else – football is now high-tech and unbelievably complex. Coaches have to prepare for 100’s of different plays and make decisions in split seconds. Decisions -- that could win or lose the game.

So how do they do it? With a cheat sheet – a color coded reference card that covers off every play in the book and what actions they might take.

The funny thing is – I’ve used the same checklists and reference cards for all of my ‘mission critical’ projects –the projects might change, but what I have to do keep the team focused on the mission – stays the same.

If you’re working in a fast-paced company where things have to happen at warp speed consider the cheat sheet! Here’s how it can help you:
1. Quick reference cards help quick decision making - by providing a simple outline of next steps and actions to keep in mind
2. Quick decision-making reduces chaos and confusion – and who wants that?

Why re-invent the wheel. Next time you’re faced with a mission-critical job -- consider the power of the good old ‘cheat sheet’. After all, it works for the super bowl coaches!

So, who do you think will win this Sunday?