Understanding the 4 Common Places Bright Leaders Often Get Stuck in Their Development
Todd Henry, founder of the Accidental Creative consultancy and author of the books Accidental Creative and Die Empty, wants us to redefine work: Work is any way in which you contribute value to the world using your available resources. Your body of work comprises the sum total of where you choose to place your limited focus, assets, time and energy.
If we redefine work as Henry suggests, then work is core to the human experience. In a recent post on his website, he adds the following: Our goal should be to give our best work every day and to not leave it inside or take it to our grave with us like so many people do. We all have a unique contribution to make to the world through our life and work, but unless we are purposeful about getting to it, others may never experience it.
There are three kinds of work that we engage in as we go about our day. They are Mapping, Making, and Meshing.
- Mapping is planning your work. It is when you strategize, conceive, think, plan, and plot your course of action. It’s the “work before the work” that helps you stay aligned.
- Making is actually doing the work. It is when you are creating the actual value you are being paid for, or doing the tasks you devised while mapping.
- Meshing is the third kind of work, and it’s often overlooked in the hustle of daily activity. It is all of the “work between the work” that actually makes you more effective when you are working. It’s comprised of things like following your curiosity, study, developing your skills, and asking deeper questions about why you are doing your work.
Depending on how diligent you are at engaging in these three kinds of work, you will occasionally fall into one of four “productivity profiles”.
To read the rest of this article, and discover your productivity profile, click here.
To read more from Todd, go here.
Check out our free SUMS book summary on Todd’s book The Accidental Creative. You can sign up to receive future release of SUMS here.
Tags: Accidental Creative, Die Empty, Leadership Engine, Staff Development, Todd Henry
