"Committing the Insane"

It is seven days since my last post!! I do have an article in the incubator, honestly.

So what's the hold up?

Work! I am about to dive into a project that has been attempted in my organisation a number of times before and failed. The things going through my mind include; How will I make this successful? How am I going to achieve where others have not?

Interestingly though, what I am being asked to do brings to mind an Einstein Quote "Doing the same thing twice and expecting a different outcome is insanity". Maybe it wasn't that exactly but something of that ilk.

My question is - "If you do the same thing a third time does it get you committed?"

The reason I am mentioning this here at 5 Why's is that this is the situation I am now in.

Some advice I am taking and looking to provide is that it is important that you consider this "Insanity" sentiment in most things you do as a manager. Be it taking over Business Unit or group, starting a new initiative or re-invigorating an old one.

Remember to stop, and learn from the past. Get input from a predecessor, the staff they have left behind or other indicators such as the legacy process and policy. If the past is something of your creation - make sure you objectively consider what you did, and how you could do it better. Involve your team.

Finally, make sure you try something different!! That is "NOT the same as before". This is the hard part, make it a principal of the initiative. Interestingly it can be the little things that make a difference, like focusing on a clear objective or goal, planning up front. In fact simply stopping and thinking could be the differentiator you need.

This is most definitely something I will be keeping in mind over the coming months.

I'll keep you posted.

Cheers

Andrew