Thursday, June 20, 2013

#384 specificity

There is currently a lot of hype and promotion surrounding the new Man of Steel (Superman) movie.  Every time I see the iconic "S" logo, I have to smile.  It is my personal belief that S does not stand for Superman, but rather super power comes when S stands for specificity.

Specificity is the golden elixir of getting things done.  If you frame a decision, strategy or question in a specific way, it is immensely more likely to be answered than if something is left nebulous or vague.

Think of the difference between saying:
> "Let's get together" vs. "How about dinner Tuesday night at 6pm at Panera?"
> "We need more help" vs.  "Here is a proposal to hire a XX position at XX salary to do XX"
> "Call some prospective students" vs. "Tonight call this list of students who have not yet done X in the admissions process"
> "Meeting adjourned" vs. "For the next meeting, you do X and I'll do Y and we'll meet again next week at the same time"
> "Please go to the store and get something for dinner" vs. "Can you stop at the market and buy 1# of beef and 4 ears of corn?"
> "Can you help if you have time?" vs. "Would it be possible for you to edit this report by the end of the day today?"

A lack of specificity impedes action by leaving the call to question open.  If there is no specific action requested, it is easy to bypass a decision.  Time is spent in followup or translation and much more time is wasted while the process remains in limbo.

If you remember that the "S" stands for specificity, you won't need a leotard or cape to possess super powers.  

-- beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com

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