One Slice at a Time

Have you ever been so hungry for pie that your appetite can sustain downing the whole thing in one sitting? Can you picture yourself - a fork and a whole pie? I’m sure we’ve had times where this was possible but most of the time we take a pie one piece at a time usually after an evening meal and sometimes even indulging in a piece just after lunch.

What does eating pie have to do with leading? I think the analogy can be brought over into tackling assignments and goals that we encounter on a regular basis. Some of us have the capacity to tackle large assignments and tasks keeping all the pieces going at once. Few of us have the long term capacity to sustain this approach especially when we have several large assignments and goals all happening at the same time.

Breaking larger assignments and goals down into smaller and manageable pieces [or slices if we want to keep the analogy going] can maximize our ability to reach our larger targets and minimize the stress that comes with tackling all the pieces at one time. Some important questions to ask in terms of breaking a larger assignment or goal into smaller pieces are:

What are the steps that are necessary to completing the assignment?
What is the first thing I need to do?
What order of priority or immediacy do the other steps have?
What is my timeline in tackling each step so that I get the assignment done?
How much time do I need to devote to each step?
Who else do I have to involve in getting these steps done?
How can I hold myself accountable to sticking to my timeline and completing each step?

After you have run through these questions and established a timeline with definite steps and time references, then take a step back and ask yourself if this is realistic. You may need to adjust the timeline, steps and/or time references. Then have a co-worker or colleague take a look at it and offer their input. You’ll be surprised how this exercise can give you the ability to reach several larger goals that can swallow you up if you try to tackle all of them head on.