By : Sylvia Hepler
Can you think of moments in your professional life when you simply had no idea how to proceed? You had no clue what should happen next? At those times you felt inadequate, paralyzed, helpless, and alone. Your feet seemed to be stuck in quicksand.
What are some examples of times like that? Maybe you knew you needed to deal with a problem employee but you didn't' know how to go about it. Maybe you realized you needed to start networking more effectively but you lacked insight about how to approach it. Maybe you had to give your Board some bad news but you didn't know what process to use to communicate it. Maybe you finally faced the fact that you honestly wanted to start searching for a new job but you didn't know where to start. Any of these resonate with you? Perhaps. And there are probably other examples in your life as well.
While visualizing the big picture generally holds great value, sometimes taking THE NEXT REASONABLE SINGLE STEP serves us best at that moment. Sometimes that next step is extremely tiny. Tiny, but not insignificant. For instance, perhaps scheduling a face to face meeting with your problem employee is your next reasonable single step. Period. Get it on the calendar. Maybe setting up a lunch with a master networker to learn the ropes can be your next step towards improving your networking skills. Maybe having a private conversation with your Board President before talking with your entire Board is the best next step when in the position of having to share bad news. Maybe looking at the top ten job seeker sites online is a next reasonable step when you want to find another job.
So often we think that we need to have everything completely figured out before we take that next step toward achieving a goal, going after a desire, or dealing with a problem. Actually, we don't. The only thing we need to do is take one reasonable next step.
A few hours ago I, personally, got the chance to practice this advice. I made a mistake with a client, and I needed to deal with the fallout. After connecting with my emotions and thinking about all of the ramifications related to the issue, I decided to call the client and acknowledge my error. I could have said a hundred things on the phone, or I could have procrastinated over making the call at all. But I chose to take what I believed was the next reasonable single step: phone the client and simply acknowledge the mistake.
In conclusion, I want to focus on the word reasonable. The point of this article is not to advise readers to take just any step. The point is to emphasize taking the next reasonable step in a given situation. We might substitute the word natural for reasonable. When you are unsure about how to proceed, what feels like the most natural thing to do? What feels right? What seems logical? Keep it simple. Avoid getting bogged down in creating a twenty step process at the precise moment you know you must act.
The benefit to taking one reasonable single step is that, after taking it, you get a clearer sense of what you should do next. And then next. And then next. Oftentimes taking one step at a time after consciously deciding upon one step at a time brings you closer to real success. You don't need to map out the whole deal.
Job Vacancy , Indonesia Job , Job Indonesia
Can you think of moments in your professional life when you simply had no idea how to proceed? You had no clue what should happen next? At those times you felt inadequate, paralyzed, helpless, and alone. Your feet seemed to be stuck in quicksand.
What are some examples of times like that? Maybe you knew you needed to deal with a problem employee but you didn't' know how to go about it. Maybe you realized you needed to start networking more effectively but you lacked insight about how to approach it. Maybe you had to give your Board some bad news but you didn't know what process to use to communicate it. Maybe you finally faced the fact that you honestly wanted to start searching for a new job but you didn't know where to start. Any of these resonate with you? Perhaps. And there are probably other examples in your life as well.
While visualizing the big picture generally holds great value, sometimes taking THE NEXT REASONABLE SINGLE STEP serves us best at that moment. Sometimes that next step is extremely tiny. Tiny, but not insignificant. For instance, perhaps scheduling a face to face meeting with your problem employee is your next reasonable single step. Period. Get it on the calendar. Maybe setting up a lunch with a master networker to learn the ropes can be your next step towards improving your networking skills. Maybe having a private conversation with your Board President before talking with your entire Board is the best next step when in the position of having to share bad news. Maybe looking at the top ten job seeker sites online is a next reasonable step when you want to find another job.
So often we think that we need to have everything completely figured out before we take that next step toward achieving a goal, going after a desire, or dealing with a problem. Actually, we don't. The only thing we need to do is take one reasonable next step.
A few hours ago I, personally, got the chance to practice this advice. I made a mistake with a client, and I needed to deal with the fallout. After connecting with my emotions and thinking about all of the ramifications related to the issue, I decided to call the client and acknowledge my error. I could have said a hundred things on the phone, or I could have procrastinated over making the call at all. But I chose to take what I believed was the next reasonable single step: phone the client and simply acknowledge the mistake.
In conclusion, I want to focus on the word reasonable. The point of this article is not to advise readers to take just any step. The point is to emphasize taking the next reasonable step in a given situation. We might substitute the word natural for reasonable. When you are unsure about how to proceed, what feels like the most natural thing to do? What feels right? What seems logical? Keep it simple. Avoid getting bogged down in creating a twenty step process at the precise moment you know you must act.
The benefit to taking one reasonable single step is that, after taking it, you get a clearer sense of what you should do next. And then next. And then next. Oftentimes taking one step at a time after consciously deciding upon one step at a time brings you closer to real success. You don't need to map out the whole deal.
Job Vacancy , Indonesia Job , Job Indonesia
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