I suspect you’ve had the experience of being with someone who says something profound in just a few words that rattles around in your brain, your heart, and your being.
In a recent coaching onboarding session, Kevin Armstrong did just that. With a mere three words, he articulated a concept that has been a core of our leadership development work.
Three words that took me an entire chapter to say the same thing. Three words that were descriptive, sticky, and to the point.
We were talking with a newly promoted C-level executive about the challenge of making decisions as a new executive. Keven reflected that there was a phrase that helped him, and other leaders consistently make solid decisions.
These three words can serve as a guide for all of us, no matter the situation. To guide our decisions, both large and small, both new and recurring, both heavy and seemingly inconsequential.
The three words are: Compass, not Clock.
The notion is that having a “compass” will provide you with the guidance to make the right decisions. Your compass may be your core values or those of the organization. It may be your articulation of your strategy or a personal statement of who you are and how you want to lead.
These three words also highlight the trap we fall into when we make decisions based on perceived time pressure. Too often, rather than our compass, we use one of these criteria to make decisions:
- What is the quickest way to get to my desired outcome?
- I don’t have the time to consider the options; I must take action immediately.
- My day and life are full. I’m driven by the clock and not by a higher purpose.
As I’ve navigated my personal life, it is easy to point to the times that I short-changed my values to be expedient, to fit in, and to do what I thought others “expected” rather than what I deeply believed was congruent with my values. Many of those decisions and actions continue to haunt me today.
Some simple (and common) examples:
- Taking the first job that was offered to me out of a sense of insecurity
- Living in a house that was “not quite” the right one out of a fear of not finding the “right one” before we needed to move
- Saying “yes” to requests that weren’t congruent with my compass out of a sense of obligation (nothing illegal or immoral – just not a fit)
On the flip side, I think of the times my values led me to make solid decisions in tough situations. When to leave a job when the top leadership violated my core values of respect for people. When to take a risk and speak up for something I believed in in a group setting. When to allow more time for a big decision and be comfortable with the “not knowing” stage.
Of course, this approach demands that you both have a compass and consistently keep it at the top of your mind. There are signs you’ve lost your compass:
- Doubt and indecision
- Feeling “out of sorts”
- Missteps and wasted effort
- Poor results over time
- Stress and frustration
Know what your compass is? Great – keep it front and center and made decisions accordingly!
Need some help defining your compass in actionable ways? All of Chapter 1 of The Leader’s Guide to Turbulent Times, is dedicated to sorting out what values are truly yours, versus the ones that sound good. It’s not always easy work or fast work or comfortable work, but defining your compass is work worth doing. Living by your compass is the work of a lifetime!
