A fisherman was recently found drifting in the ocean off Taiwan by a fishing boat. He had been drifting for 19 hours on a rainbow-coloured swim ring after falling asleep while relaxing after work. The comical image of this is a giggle, although I’m sure he didn’t find it so! I find myself imagining doing the same thing after a big day if I lived right by the ocean.

This got me thinking of two things:

a) Thank goodness for the rainbow swim ring – and who and what are my metaphoric swim rings?

b) Am I heading in the direction I want to be?

It might though be a good reminder for all of us at this mid-way point of the year to check our strategic position and make sure we are not floating along aimlessly and heading nowhere fast!

So gather your team together, corral some time, and ask some of these questions to stress test your direction for the rest of the year and make sure you are not floating away to an undesirable destination not in the plan!

You’ll notice both the head and the heart in these questions. We can’t do meaningful Ferocious Warmth reflection without both. In a way, these questions can be your rainbow ring, making sure you’re staying afloat through the oceans of the months ahead, and heading for the right port.

Are we still clear on our ‘why’ for each of our strategic goals? Do we know exactly why we are heading down this course?

What are we expecting things to look like by the end of the year?

Where do we need to have some rigorous debate as to where a goal is heading or tracking?

Are we measuring the right things? Are our actions taking us to the right end point?

Are we nourishing our relationships? Are there any misunderstandings brewing that need to be discussed? ( how are we being each others’ swim rings!)

Are we resourcing this work appropriately? Time, budget, empathy and understanding, professional development?

Are we being flexible in our plans, experimenting and analysing our impact? Are we open if our findings suggest we change course slightly?

Where do people need more structure, or less to move the goal forward?

How healthy is the professional culture? Is it giving us momentum, or are we stuck?

Have we celebrated what has been achieved so far?

 

Just a few questions – but these will give you some meaty discussions to keep you centred and collaborating on getting there together.