Getting Stuff Done is a simple and effective process to help you set tasks, achieve goals and successfully complete projects. Martin Couzins and I first developed this service in response to some research we carried out for the Learning and Performance Institute back in 2017. This showed us that people are struggling to turn ideas into action. Read on to find out more, and download the Getting Stuff Done pdf.
The Thinking Behind Getting Stuff Done
Generate great ideas > Make commitments > Enthusiasm decays > Commitment failure occurs
Recognise the above pattern of behaviour? Lots of us find it hard to turn great ideas into reality. You attend a conference, an away day, a workshop, or even an important meeting, and you leave inspired to do great things. In that moment, you are full of enthusiasm, brimming with great ideas and a sense of commitment to them. However, it doesn’t take long for that enthusiasm and commitment to fade once back in your daily working life. Unless actions are agreed and acted upon quickly, the day-to-day takes over. That’s when commitment failure occurs.
What is Getting Stuff Done?
Getting Stuff Done is an open and honest process that enables individuals and teams to identify and share tasks and take personal responsibility for achieving them. We create safe spaces on and offline that enable and support you to get stuff done. That’s a quick summary of it.
Why Should You Consider Getting Stuff Done?
According to data from the World Economic Forum, some of the most in demand skills are critical thinking, creativity and co-ordinating with others. Getting Stuff Done helps you improve these three important skills, and more.
How effective are you and your team at getting things done at work? Are you getting the right things done? We are very good at being busy, not always so good at getting urgent projects completed on time or attending to projects that could make a huge difference to our business. At times we find it difficult to prioritise goals and sustain our energy and focus on the tasks that will achieve those goals. We often don’t make our tasks visible to each other which can lead to a lack of accountability and responsibility for getting things done.
We often overestimate what we can achieve in the short term, this is demotivating and damages our chances for longer term success, so we work with you and your team, creating spaces to get tasks and projects completed. Imagine if you and your colleagues were better at getting stuff done. Those nice to have projects which you never seem to have time for, could come to life. This approach will help you improve:
- Responsibility for setting and achieving goals
- Sequencing and prioritising tasks
- Providing a clearer view of whether plans are realistic, and adjust as necessary
- Personal responsibility and ownership without the need for managerial judgement
How?
After some initial data gathering and an optional workshop to discuss, explore and experience the process, we convene an online space for you to ‘meet’, share tasks and take responsibility for achieving them. Importantly – the projects themselves are yours, this is about fostering responsibility and a willing sense of ownership. We are advocates for the process, we offer openness and honesty, helping you bring Getting Stuff Done to life.
Getting Stuff Done Guiding Principles
- We trust in the process
- Our approach to the sharing space is non-judgemental
- We check in on progress, not check up on each other
- Success comes from taking responsibility for your actions
- We share to learn from each other
Benefits
- Improved project completion and success
- Develop individual responsibility for getting stuff done
- Shared accountability across teams and projects
- Learning from and with each other
- Stronger desire for curiosity and willingness to experiment
- Work becomes more cocreated, more enjoyable
- Positive unintended consequences
We offer a tiered service, which you can flex according to demand, and your project timescale. Our intention is to empower people and teams to use this methodology for themselves. Our involvement will be relatively short term.
What Do Previous Participants Say About Getting Stuff Done?
“A fun collaborative way to keep a track of your day”
“A great way to connect with others who are experts in the field & willing to share their experiences”
“A worthwhile community”
“Fun and intriguing”
“So helpful”
“Ohhhh, does this have to end?”
Good work gets done when people are confident with owning their share of responsibility and taking the necessary action to complete it. With our help, you will get better at delivering the stuff you need to, and free yourself up to deliver the stuff you always wanted to, but never found the time for, until now.