I can name that tune in 1 note...

As we approach the end of the year and think about goals and objectives – I am reminded of the game show “Name that tune”

The gist of the show was that based on your knowledge and the clues given by the host you would name a song in the fewest notes possible.

So what is the strategic lesson here?

Ken Blanchard talks about goals being “one minute goals” or no more than 250 words – i.e. short enough to be easily read in a minute. If you have never done this – it is a great idea.

Other people talk about one-page strategic plans – an extremely valuable tool.

There is another exercise that always reminded of “Name that tune” – we used to joke and call it “8 is enough”. Went something like this:

1) Think of a strategy, objective or key point you want to focus on.

2) Write down your best thought or description

3) Edit it down to 250 words (thank you one minute manager!)

3) Edit it down to 125 words – look at getting rid of adjectives

4) Take it down to 50 words – Sentences can be chopped and combined; think more about the key you want to communicate and less about composition. No duplication of ideas.

5) Take it down to 25 words – usually this ends up one long sentence.

6) Highlight anything that is a verb or a noun

7) Cut it down to a single phrase that is 8 words or less (it is OK to add in an adjective or adverb here if needed)

I suggest you take the most impactful goal you can think of and walk through this exercise. The process and result give our focus a clarity of thought, and a huge level of impact. “8 is enough” is a worthwhile (and challenging) exercise that I highly recommend.

The end of the year is when we focus on our goals for the next 12 months. When we think of them for our team, it is important that we look to make sure that they can be easily understood, repeated and transmitted. A process like the one above is a great way to push our thinking and communications about goals to the next level.

It may not be as impressive as the one note answers from the game show – but imagine how great our team would perform if they could “Name that goal” in 8 notes or less.