How to Lead the Rebellion…

First is being deliberate and intentional. Technology encourages us to be “fast” thinkers.  We think there is value in answering quickly, in responding to that email or text right away.  Stepping back and reflecting is key; and this involves become a “slow” thinker on things that matter.  “Fast” thinking encourages us to tick boxes.  “Slow” thinking means engaging deliberately with the issue at hand.  You want to be a “slow” thinker to be strategic.  You want to look at it from all sides, think about it, and be creative in imagining the best outcome.    

Second, you need to be audience focused. It has been said that putting together a strategy without thinking about your audience is like writing a love letter and then addressing it “to whom it may concern.”  You simply cannot be strategic without thinking long and hard about your audience.  In working to be strategic you need to be constantly thinking, re-assessing, and thinking again about your audience.  If it is your customers, your boss or your Board, you need to dig deep to understand their reality, their motivation and their constraints. 

Third is accepting that time matters. Time is one of the few things we can’t get back. When it is spent, it is spent.  You can’t buy more, earn more, or negotiate for more.  There are only so many hours in a day and busy smart people deeply resent being forced to waste it by disorganized, ill focused, and sloppy encounters.  If you are conscious and judicious with the time of others, you will immediately get their attention and open them up to listening to what you have to say.

Finally, take the principles of the Strategic Rebellion and apply it everywhere.  We’ve trained more than 10,000 people in small groups in the past decade.  It has been tested and taught in multi-national companies, multi-lateral institutions and the public sector and private sector at all levels across Canada, in the US and Europe.  It changes the way you work because it dramatically changes the way you think about how you work.