Someone asked for my help this week.
I said yes. Rolled up my sleeves. Started working.
I didn’t ask when they needed it. Who was waiting on it downstream. What done actually meant to them.
I asked about the how. Not the what or the when.
By the time I figured out I had the priorities wrong, someone was already waiting. The work wasn’t late because I was slow. It was late because I jumped in before I understood what I was jumping into.
I talk about clarity before execution. I believe it. I’ve seen what happens when organizations skip it.
Apparently I needed the reminder too.
The question I skipped was thirty seconds. The recovery took longer than that.
When do you need this? Who else is counting on it? What does done look like to you?
Thirty seconds of clarity. A lot less cleanup.
What’s the last thing you jumped into before you fully understood what you were jumping into?