| THE POWER OF THREE
Take away the complexity in every situation by conditioning yourself to adopt the simplicity of three. Ask yourself:
- What are the three most important things I can do right now?
- What are my next three steps?
- What three things are interconnected and can produce a greater result in less time because of their overlapping similarities?
The "Power of Three" is a game-changing concept in the way you think, process, and act.
Think about the multitude of things you have going on with your priorities in business, life, or leadership. It can become confusing and overwhelming trying to sort out where to focus and what to do next.
On a sheet of paper, make three columns. Label each column accordingly: Business – Life – Leadership. Now, set a timer for 3 minutes and start listing all the to-do items you can think of, by category, in each column. You can jump from column to column. Just keep adding the items as you think of them. You can also add things you want to create, finish, or learn about in each column. Just keep writing and capturing whatever ideas emerge. At the end of 3 minutes, look at your list and tally up how many items are on the list. I surmise there are a LOT.
This is why you need a sorting mechanism and prioritizing process to keep moving forward. Otherwise, you'll get lost in chaos and confusion and find yourself stuck…or floundering. Have you ever felt the chaos and confusion of having too much on your plate and not enough time to get it all done?
I get it. You are not alone. I’ve worked with clients for years and this is a familiar scenario for many of them. Is it a familiar scenario for you?
You have too much going on in your head with too many ideas and it’s difficult to sort it all out. It creates stopping points, consciously or unconsciously, and you become hindered and halted in business, life, or leadership. Have you experienced those moments? If so, you need to learn how to transform a stopping point into a turning point. You can do this by using the “Power of Three.”
Gina was the Vice President of Sales and she used to go on site visits with me to assess my sales operations in different locations. At the time, I was new to the company, and this was part of my onboarding process which included participation in a Leadership Training program.
Gina was a revered leader in the organization with award-winning sales. She mentored new Regional Managers coming into the organization. Together, during our visits, we would assess the people, the operations, and the results. But Gina had a unique approach to how we would do this. Upon arriving, we would say our hellos and then proceed to do a 10-minute observation from an open area in the office. She asked me to sit in a chair (with my hands under my legs to keep me still) and just observe the interactions, the attitudes, and the confidence of the manager and staff. Were they upbeat and positive? Were they sharing knowledge with each other? How was the manager interacting with his/her staff? I had never done this before. It was amazing how much intel I could glean in this 10-minute stop-look-listen mode. That was a valuable a-ha! moment for me in my career. So, what came next?
At the end of our site visits, we would sit with the manager of each location to review. Rather than sharing our observations, we asked the manager to first share their assessment of their center’s and team’s strengths and weaknesses, but only three. Three strengths and three areas for improvement. After a manager provided his/her input, we would then add to their assessment with no more than THREE comments of our own. At the conclusion of the discussion, the manager identified and acknowledged three specific strengths and three clear objectives to focus on for improvement over the next 30 days. This methodology helped the manager learn and grow over time so they, too, could generate remarkable achievements in their sales, their people, and their operations.
With a few tweaks, I have adopted this process ever since. I call it my 3/3 System for Success. I faithfully use it when I’m coaching or consulting with clients, or trying to resolve challenges in my own business, or training others to Step UP to next level success. I encourage you to start using it, too.
What’s significant about the concept of three? Three strengths. Three areas of improvement. Three topics. Three items. Three chapters. Three names. Groupings of three.
The “Power of Three” is a psychological and cognitive principle that suggests items grouped in threes are more memorable, impactful, and satisfying than other groupings. My experience proves this. When working with clients, it’s easier to remember three steps or three points. If I go beyond the magic number of three with ideas or suggestions, focus fades and minds start to wander. People check out. Yes, even you might begin to check out.
Are you interested in learning more? I have an exciting announcement to share. To expand my reach to help you and many others, I am starting a new endeavor this month to author a book based on the principle of 1-2-3. Its intent is to help you move from stopping points to turning points for remarkable achievement.
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