How Strong Is Your Ladder Of Success?

We CREATE our…

…V I S I O N.

…G O A L S.

…P U R P O S E.

We SEE the…

…B I G  P I C T U R E.

We KEEP a…

…P O S I T I V E  P E R S P E C T I V E.

  We work hard to BUILD THE FRAME to our…

…L A D D E R  O F  S U C C E S S.

But, what happens when we focus too much on creating the outer layers? What becomes of the small steps that must happen in between?

 In business, no matter what industry, we can create a vision, define our purpose and get everyone on board…but what matters most are the steps that happen in between. If some steps are ignored completely, the outside work toward a lofty vision may wear and tear on the rungs. You can have a strong ladder frame but without the strong rungs, climbing toward the goals will not be possible. So, how do you strengthen the rungs AND the frame of the ladder?

Begin with…

B R A I N S T O R M I N G…

…with your team. And, NOT just about the final vision and purpose, but about the tiny steps that must happen along the way to get there. How will you define every step? What will everyone do to help keep the rungs of the ladder strong? Break up the vision into tiny chunks, define each chunk and decide how you will build each into the larger picture.

Then, make sure that you have open…

C O M M U N I C A T I O N…

…with your team. Everyone. Don’t allow things to hang out in the darkness. Don’t let people wonder how they should take their next step. Hold meetings. Email. Write it in the company newsletter. Give a speech at an event. Meet with everyone individually. Answer every question. Leave no stone unturned when it comes to open communication within your organization.

And in some cases, you may think that the rung of the ladder is strong enough to hold the step and once you step on it, it may break. You may fall. Pick yourself and your team back up and revisit the brainstorming and communication between everyone. Did you get everything out in the open?

Chances are, you missed something and this is your O P P O R T U N I T Y to try again.

The rung of a ladder was never meant to rest upon, but only to hold a man’s foot long enough to enable him to put the other somewhat higher.

Thomas Huxley

[custom_author=jenny]