Occasionally, Togetherness gets a bit of a rep for being inflexible. But we believe the opposite around here. As you’ve heard me say before, “The more planned you are, the more flexible you can be!” (PS I’m thinking I should print this on a shirt! Would you wear that? Weird, or no?)
We are in the thick of our summer and fall Together Courses, and I recently received this note from one of our amazing participants.
I need to offer a huge apology, but I need to uncommit to today’s Together Leader session. Using all that I took away from last week’s session, I have dug deeply into articulating my priorities and reworking my Monthly Map, Weekly Worksheet, and Comprehensive Calendar. It has already been so helpful in clarifying what’s most important and creating a purposeful week! One of my top priorities – caring for my mom – means I need to prioritize an appointment we just got with an independent living facility today. I’m sorry that conflicts with my commitment to the course and hope that my absence doesn’t cause any logistical challenges.
The Together Team gathered up quickly and were like YES, YES, YES!! This is Togetherness in Action.
Let’s break down how this course participant got it Together:
- Deep clarity on her priorities – both personal and professional. This can be achieved with a Priority Plan (Chapter 4 of The Together Leader).
- Translation of priorities into her actual calendar. This takes some time, but synthesizing what matters most and putting it into your calendar is worth it.
- Awareness of other ways to reach the outcome. This participant is very committed to our course, AND she knows we record and post right after class. There’s often another solution!
- Thinking made visible to others. She could have just not shown up to class. Or tried to engage in class from her phone while driving (not usually a good idea, folks!), but instead she shared her thinking with us. Brava!
How about you? As you manage colliding priorities, how do you shift and adapt? I have a feeling we will be doing a lot of this with students in buildings, returning to offices, and uncertainty ever-present. Hang in there, and keep prioritizing and communicating!
