...And there is one of our greatest challenges. Why do so many parents go on and on at their children about what they are going to be when they grow up? Because they are hunting for ideas, for themselves...
Knowing where we want to go in life, as individuals, as teams and companies, is one of our biggest challenges...
...The way to do it, is to separate "what" you want, from "how" you are going to achieve it. This is absolutely critical - when we have an idea, a dream, an ambition, the first question we immediately ask ourselves (or are asked by others) is, "how?" And as we may not know, or have it all worked out, we take that as a sign that the dream is not for us.
I once met Terry Matthews, and he shared his dream - to bring the golf tournament, The Ryder Cup, to Wales. The people listening all burst out laughing. Terry smiled quietly to himself. In 2010 his dream will be fulfilled when the tournament comes to The Celtic Manor, built and owned by Sir Terry. He later told me that when you have a dream, you can tell if it is really ambitious enough by how many people laugh at it.
Having a massive dream is very logical, as it takes you exactly the same time, energy an brainpower to have a huge dream, as it does to have a small one. Your dream, your what, will come to you when you open up your mind to the fact that you can achieve anything, and you leave the how to one side, and then have an outcome, a clear, measurable result of what you will achieve. The key here is to be clear and exact - there is no room for ambiguity, or who knows what might happen...
A few years ago Manchester City were relegated from the Premiership to the First Division, and they appointed Joe Royale as manager. Asked what he was going to achieve for the club (the outcome) he said he was going to do just one thing, he was going to get them out of the first division. And he did, they were relegated to the second.
Tomorrow, within knowing where you are now, I will share with you the most powerful way to be one team, without a canoe even in sight...