Welcome to the 13th edition of North Star Blueprints! In this weekly newsletter, we embark on a journey of personal and professional growth, offering observations, strategies, and inspiration to help you navigate life’s challenges and reach new heights of success. This edition will provide a summary of the daily insights I posted throughout the week, packed with valuable tips, thought-provoking ideas, and actionable advice from some observations I’ve made around decision making, having backup plans, communicating better with people around you, learning how to ask the right questions, and never forgetting to celebrate your successes, all in the hopes of helping you to unleash your better self.
May 13: Mastering Decision-Making
Listening to interviews with several military pilots, I recently learned the concept of the OODA loop (Observe, Orient, Decide, Act) – a fundamental framework for decision-making in high-stakes situations. To use this feedback loop, pilots continuously observe their surroundings, orient themselves to the evolving battlefield, make rapid decisions based on their analysis, and act decisively to execute their plans. Mastery of the OODA loop provides them with a competitive edge, enabling pilots to outmaneuver adversaries and achieve mission success.
The principles of the OODA loop are not limited to military contexts; they are equally applicable in the business world and our day to day lives. Consider a situation when a project encounters delays due to unforeseen technical issues (Observe), you quickly assess the situation by considering project goals, available resources, and potential risks (Orient). Based on this analysis, you can decide to reallocate resources, reorganize tasks, and communicate the revised timeline to stakeholders (Decide). Finally, you take action by delegating tasks, providing support to team members, and closely monitoring progress to keep the project on track (Act). The situation then changes based on your actions, allowing you to review the new parameters (Observe), and so restarting the loop.
Many of us follow this loop without even realizing it, however actively focusing on each step and making an effort to understand the steps involved will greatly accelerate the outcomes you’re looking for. By mastering this iterative process, you will be able to enhance your adaptability, seize opportunities, make proactive decisions, and thrive in this ever-changing world we live in.
May 14: Two is One, and One is None
“Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face” – Mike Tyson
It’s so easy to believe that the plan you’ve spent so much time refining cannot fail, to think that you have covered all outcomes. The reality is not that simple and we’ve all been there – a small deviation grows into a complete change in direction. Without a backup strategy, such setbacks can impact your timelines and overall success. However, by anticipating potential risks and devising contingency plans, you can mitigate the impact of unexpected events and maintain your momentum.
You don’t need to prepare for every possible thing that can go wrong, but make sure you plan for emergencies that are more likely to materialize. Preparedness is not just a virtue, it’s a competitive advantage. There is a military saying I always liked – “Two is one, and one is none”, in other words, if you have no back up, then you are left with nothing. If you do, at least you have something you can rely on.
This might sound like common sense, everyone knows that backups and contingencies are important. Yet, we constantly see so many brilliant plans fail. Either their backup wasn’t good enough or they didn’t have one. Plan properly for both.
May 15: Involve Your Clients
After years of working with clients, I’ve come to realize that transparency isn’t just a buzzword. It’s the cornerstone of trust, successful collaboration, and long-lasting relationships. When I refer to transparency, I don’t mean just sharing the end results, but rather having open communication channels and demystifying your process and approach throughout. Often, we think that something is so clear and visible, but for an external party it’s very opaque.
It’s important to keep your clients involved in your thought process, in your planning, and to some extent even your internal processes. The worst thing you can do is to work in silos, leaving your client wondering what you’re actually doing. The more you can involve your clients – by sharing drafts of work, regularly updating them on status, and explaining why you’re doing things the way you do, the easier it will be for them to understand and relate to you.
I was recently buying a car, during the process the salesperson walked me through every line item, every fee and charge, explaining why it’s there, which parameters can be changed, and what discounts can be added. I’m sure his sale was very profitable, but thanks to his transparency I certainly felt that I got the best possible deal.
Make it a priority to let your clients in on how you work, and it will empower them to understand the journey you are both embarking on together. When clients are equipped with the knowledge you share about your work and mechanisms, they’re better positioned to provide valuable input and make informed decisions. Everyone wins.
May 16: Ask the Right Questions
I recently took a short flight where the airline crew requested to store all passenger carry-ons as checked luggage to save cabin space. As they were collecting our carry-ons, we were asked “do you have any batteries in there?” (which are not allowed to be checked in and must be stored in cabin due to a fire hazard from pressure changes). One by one, everyone responded that they do not. Yet, the plane was delayed by an hour because multiple people left their laptops in the now checked-in luggage. Laptops have batteries but people forgot this little fact. In this scenario, the airline’s question was inappropriately worded – no one packed batteries that day, people packed laptops.
When asking questions, you should always simplify your audience’s thinking process and use phrasing that would make sense to them. In our scenario, a better question would’ve been “Do you carry any electronics or other battery operated devices?” Or even simpler, “Do you carry anything that can be charged?” in addition to the original battery question. This eliminates any confusion because it asks people to identify commonly used items.
Questions in a form that is relevant and familiar to your audience, as opposed to what makes sense in your own world and day-to-day experiences and expectations, are always best. Remember the key lesson from Douglas’ Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – coming up with the right questions is often much harder than finding the right answers. Don’t cut corners here.
May 17: Celebrate Success
You’ve just accomplished an important milestone, you’ve been working towards it for a while and it’s finally done! Time to rush to the next big thing, after all “when you’ve reached the top, keep climbing” right?
All too often we’re so caught up in the next item on our to do list, or the next objective on our roadmap, that we completely forget to celebrate what we or our team have just achieved. Remember that project you’ve spent months working on, your team staying up night after night, working weekends, and through holidays… when it ended the client was very satisfied and your leadership amazed by a work well done. Did you remember to celebrate as well? Or did you just move on to the next assignment? You’d be amazed by how far even a simple dinner goes to slow down for just a moment, and acknowledge what you’ve just accomplished.
As we go into this weekend, take a moment and treat yourself, find a way to thank yourself for all the great work you’ve done over the past weeks and months. Monday will come before you know it, and you’ll come back with renewed energy and motivation.
Thank you for joining me on this journey of growth and discovery. I hope these insights illuminate your path forward as you pursue your aspirations with purpose and determination. See you in next week’s edition!
