Getting Traction

It doesn’t matter if you are talking about making your business better or your family better; getting traction can be tough. Traction is a reference to what it is like to work hard without moving forward versus working hard while moving forward. One of the common mistakes we make is to think that things should be hard. Either way, your effort is going to be required. Once we are committed to putting forth the effort, we must know where we are going.

The first step in getting real traction in life is to cast a vision for where we want to be. Every company lives by a set of values. Some are stated, and some are simply felt. Being clear about the 3 or fewer values that will guide you while also being clear about what actions make those values unmistakable is critical. Once you know how you will filter the decisions you make (value-filtering), then you can cast a compelling vision.

Your vision is a description of what life is like at a specific date in the future. It is important to write this in the present tense in order to get your subconscious mind to believe it fully. Think one year from today. What is life like either personally or professionally if you got everything right? When you free-write for 10–15 minutes about the perfect life as if it is already in place, then place a future date on that perfect life, you have a vision. This vision is something your teams can buy into. Even more effective is to get each member of your leadership team to do their own free writing and then compare the stories you have each created.

By getting the team involved, you create the right emotions. By ensuring the vision is filtered through the lens of values aligned with actions, you ensure people live into their best self-concept. Putting these two things together positions you for people to be truly motivated in the pursuit of greatness! I would challenge you to think in the present tense for a future date. Then, create measurable plans for making that life a reality. This will give you the traction you need for success.