GPS for the Office: How Getting Lost Can Help You Find Your Way

I thought we were the last people in North America to get a GPS, but based on how many are for sale this Christmas there are still a few stalwart holdouts. I was a reluctant convert – I couldn’t see the benefits of a GPS when we could use a map or download precise directions from Google. And, for the most part I’m driving familiar routes.

But my resolve weakened late this summer and now we have one. I am officially a fan – I think they are wonderful, albeit with caveats. I have been hopelessly lost on several occasions, something I hadn’t anticipated. I admit it is my own fault for listening to that woman whose voice cheerfully tells you where to go. In one instance, I had pulled off the highway for gas and instead of doing what I would have done pre-GPS, retrace my steps and get back on the highway, I obeyed her command to turn in the opposite direction –away from the freeway and down a country road. 45 minutes later I finally got back on the freeway after a very circuitous but scenic route. It was an exercise in self control (although I admit to letting her know exactly how I felt) and because I was so lost with no concept of where I was, I had no idea whether it was better to turn around and go back the way I had just come or continue to obey her commands.

I have learned that there can be a substantial difference between the fastest route and the shortest route and the most use of freeways and the least use of freeways. Depending on the situation each can have a significant advantage over the other – if you factor in the reality of your current situation. I also learned that in some situations the GPS is nothing more than a distraction and that you can be in places that simply aren’t on the map – the screen is utterly blank.

Trying to understand the GPS logic made me realize that there are several similarities to work. The most important being that in order to use a GPS most effectively, you have to know where you are going – you need to start with a destination. But knowing your goal isn’t all that is needed. If you’ve ever been required to create SMART goals you know that having them carefully written in SMART terms (S – specific; M – measurable; A –achievable; R – relevant; T – time-sensitive) doesn’t always get you to your destination. It looks good on paper but doesn’t guarantee results.

If SMART goals don’t always get us to our destinations, what can the GPS teach us? Our goals are the destinations we program into the device – where we want to end up. And, just as with driving, there are lots of things to consider along the way – traffic, weather, and construction are no different than competing demands, insufficient resources, and changing priorities. When we encounter driving obstacles we recalibrate and change our route. Only we can see the changing conditions – they aren’t visible to the GPS just as our goals can remain static and disconnected from our daily reality.

Although the GPS usually gets you to your destination, the route may not be direct, fast or convenient. It’s up to us to realize whether the direction in which we are travelling makes sense and listen to our intuition, no matter what that woman is telling us. So it is with our SMART goals – they are useful only to the extent that we frequently recalibrate where we are and determine if we are still heading towards our goal. Do we need to get back on the freeway or is the scenic route serving a purpose? And most importantly, are we still heading in the right direction?
How could you recalibrate your route to reach your goals faster, more directly or more quickly?

IDEAS YOU CAN USE

1. Spend some time in the future In order to really know where you want to be, visualize what accomplishing the goal will look and feel like. See yourself achieving the goal from as many different perspectives as possible and use that experience to inform your planning. David Allen tells us that you can’t see how to do it until you see yourself doing it. Too often we get stuck on the details of how before we are clear on what it is we really want to achieve.

2. Break it dow
Just as I can’t drive from Vancouver to New York in a day, most goals are best tackled by creating a series of smaller destinations that get us where we want to go. Breaking the larger goal into many smaller projects not only helps us gain clarity on what needs to be done, it also helps us achieve success. A sub-project is much more manageable in every respect – we can recalibrate more easily when we encounter obstacles; it’s easier to recognize when we are lost; we can see our progress more readily; and just as the route from Vancouver to Seattle is easier to plan, so is a sub-project. Success breeds success. Completing aspects of the larger project is a powerful motivator.

3. Make it happe
Get started. Being in motion is all about momentum. When you get stuck, find the smallest possible action you can take to keep going. If you’ve broken the goal down sufficiently there should always be something you can do to make it happen – some small step that keeps you in motion. Don’t worry about perfection. Get into action; notice where you are and recalibrate your route as needed.

The end of the year is a natural time to revisit your annual goals and create new ones for 2009. This year take it a step further and break each goal into monthly targets starting from your destination and working backwards. Every month take stock of where you are and decide if you are still headed in the right direction. Check your internal GPS as often as needed to see if you are on the best route to get to your destination and recalibrate against reality.

Safe journeys in 2009!