What do you think it is? Many would say the wheel, or fire, or electricity. Others might argue for great medical cures that ended epidemics and diseases.
All are valid answers but consider John Carlton’s belief that the world’s greatest invention is…
…the deadline… (We often call a deadline - a goal)
…without which, he says, nothing else of consequence would ever have been invented or accomplished.
John is a marketing guy and every marketer knows “every ad must include a compelling offer and a deadline for action”. Without a deadline (GOAL), nothing happens and you’ve wasted your money on the ad”. But WITH those two, mountains can be moved.
Human beings respond to deadlines.
The same holds true for life in general. In his book, “Total Success”, Dr. Robert Anthony says when setting goals, a deadline is “the essential activating mechanism”. He’s right. If there’s no deadline, people won’t get started.
Watch any sporting event that’s played against a clock -- football, basketball, or hockey. If the score is tight as the clock winds down, the action gets more intense and fascinating. Everyone is on edge -- athletes and fans alike. That level of intensity is there for one reason: the deadline is approaching.
News reporters have story deadlines, so they can go to final edit, final press, and get the news out on time. Your morning newspaper is on your doorstep, or outside your hotel room door, or on the newsstand, because of a deadline.
ACTIONS FOR YOU
In your two roles -- manager of yourself and leader of others -- see the deadline as your friend. Whenever you begin a task, start a project, or set a goal, set a deadline at the very beginning. It starts the clock ticking. It pushes yourself and others into action.
Break down complex projects into a series of smaller tasks -- each with its own deadline. On office days, I set mini-deadlines for myself throughout the day -- like what I want to get done by 10:30, then by noon, then by 3:00, then by 6:30.
Oh, and by the way, expect resistance -- and plenty of it. Not everyone likes to be pinned down to a timeline. Most prefer to squirm and wiggle out of accountability. But that’s where you earn your leader stripes.
If you want to accomplish things of great consequence -- and lots of them -- in your business, in your family, in your life -- use deadlines to your advantage.
All are valid answers but consider John Carlton’s belief that the world’s greatest invention is…
…the deadline… (We often call a deadline - a goal)
…without which, he says, nothing else of consequence would ever have been invented or accomplished.
John is a marketing guy and every marketer knows “every ad must include a compelling offer and a deadline for action”. Without a deadline (GOAL), nothing happens and you’ve wasted your money on the ad”. But WITH those two, mountains can be moved.
Human beings respond to deadlines.
The same holds true for life in general. In his book, “Total Success”, Dr. Robert Anthony says when setting goals, a deadline is “the essential activating mechanism”. He’s right. If there’s no deadline, people won’t get started.
Watch any sporting event that’s played against a clock -- football, basketball, or hockey. If the score is tight as the clock winds down, the action gets more intense and fascinating. Everyone is on edge -- athletes and fans alike. That level of intensity is there for one reason: the deadline is approaching.
News reporters have story deadlines, so they can go to final edit, final press, and get the news out on time. Your morning newspaper is on your doorstep, or outside your hotel room door, or on the newsstand, because of a deadline.
ACTIONS FOR YOU
In your two roles -- manager of yourself and leader of others -- see the deadline as your friend. Whenever you begin a task, start a project, or set a goal, set a deadline at the very beginning. It starts the clock ticking. It pushes yourself and others into action.
Break down complex projects into a series of smaller tasks -- each with its own deadline. On office days, I set mini-deadlines for myself throughout the day -- like what I want to get done by 10:30, then by noon, then by 3:00, then by 6:30.
Oh, and by the way, expect resistance -- and plenty of it. Not everyone likes to be pinned down to a timeline. Most prefer to squirm and wiggle out of accountability. But that’s where you earn your leader stripes.
If you want to accomplish things of great consequence -- and lots of them -- in your business, in your family, in your life -- use deadlines to your advantage.