I recently returned from a trip to Saudi Arabia. While there I had the opportunity to work with several major companies and organizations and develop both personal and professional relationships. It was an amazing experience.
Prior to leaving on this trip I sat down and thought about my strategic intent. My goal was to be able to deliver ideas to the organizations I went to serve that would allow them to grow and flourish. I also wanted to develop deeper relationships with people I knew and new people that I would meet.
My main concern was that there are vast cultural differences. My “right things” were to learn about the organizations that I would be speaking with, study up on cultural differences and have conversations with people who have traveled to Saudi Arabia so I could learn from their experiences.
I use 400 large laminated photos for a strategic planning exercise. I went through and eliminated any photos that I thought might not fit culturally. Upon my arrival in Riyadh, I met with my marketing partner in the region and had him review the photos and also my other visual materials to insure that there was nothing offensive. I wanted to guarantee that my message would be on target and well received.
We all should know our strategic intent and take the time to determine our right things. Our right things are those activities that when performed regularly and performed with a high level of excellence will almost guarantee that we achieve our strategic intent, our goal. Do you know your right things and are you focused on them on a daily basis?
If you are in safety one of your right things might be to clean your work area at the end of your shift or to make sure everything is in place before starting your workday. In sales you may need to contact a specific number of clients every day. A leader’s right things might include taking the time to communicate with direct reports with respect to the departments right things and following up to make sure that everyone has the resources they require to complete their mission.
The client feedback in Saudi Arabia was outstanding. We are already looking at several return visits, I met new people and developed several meaningful personal relationships and my marketing partner in the region and I are working closely to grow the No More Excuses® brand in the region. My right things lead to my success. Your right things will lead you to your success!
