Eating an Elephant.

AuthorSeverson, Adam
PositionFROM THE PRESIDENT

Wow, just wow! I am full of energy and appreciation on the heels of a record-breaking annual conference. I enjoyed seeing so many old friends and meeting so many new ones, and I was blown away by our speakers. They provided thoughtful ideas and practical approaches to improve my firm's bottom line, increase our market awareness and build a collaborative environment.

And now is when the rubber hits the road. I need to take these ideas and execute. I'm overwhelmed. How can I possibly implement every idea that could move the needle for my firm?! The reality is that I probably can't. But it reminds me of the adage, how do you eat an elephant? The answer is incredibly simple: One bite at a time. Intimidating situations like this don't just occur after a life-changing conference; we encounter them all the time in our demanding roles. So we need to consider how to break this elephant down into manageable and practical applications that we can incorporate into our daily work lives. Prioritization and project management are two necessary--and difficult--aspects of our work. We need to strategically evaluate these new ideas and determine how (and if) we want to proceed.

Toward that end, applying some simple filters to these potential new activities will allow you to incrementally improve your organization and provide a great sense of accomplishment. Consider the why. Are you thinking about moving forward because the initiative meets a client need? Does it meet a firm need...

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