On Anticipation
As we learn and understand more about the flow of work and the needs of members and other people on our team, we can start to predict what comes next. Things will follow each other in a natural progression. When we anticipate, we get to the next thing sooner than those we are serving. That gives us a chance to make things welcoming and nice for them at the time they arrive. Here are some thoughts about anticipating
- Proactive – If we are anticipating, we need to start the process ourselves. We are not responding to a request; we are launching something new. We start once we have some degree of confidence, either through experience or prior planning. In other words, we don’t need to be told something is needed. We already know it is needed and we act on our own to provide it.
- Preparation – When we see professional athletes, artists, or other professionals in action we admire how they make things look easy. What we can’t see are all the hours of practice, training and study that were required to take them to that level. In our own career, we need to make sure we have a little time set aside to learn new things. In the book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People Stephen Covey calls this Habit 7 – Sharpen the Saw. Skills and knowledge are like our personal treasure. We can enrich any environment when we apply it and as we use our skills they grow stronger and deeper. What we learn and practice always belongs to us.
- Pre-Position – When climbers attempt the summit of Everest, Sherpas climb up before them to put equipment and provisions in place. We are responsible for doing much the same thing. Our clients have critical goals and objectives they need to achieve to serve their members. We need to be there first to do the work that gives them the support they need to accomplish critical objectives.
I appreciate everything you do to anticipate the need of our clients, their members, and our team!