Big and bold is everywhere<\/p>\n
This summer I decided to consciously take a step back and make time for in-depth reflection and conversations \u2013 is it bold? is it big? You tell me!<\/p>\n
The topic of big goals, big plans, often summed up as \u201cplaying big\u201d, kept coming back. So I delved a bit deeper under the glossy, insta-worthy image that would want us to believe that if you\u2019re not playing big there is little hope for success.<\/p>\n
I started with a pros and cons list \u2013 you got to start somewhere and the old + and \u2013 list is usually a good way to get the creative juices flowing.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
More stress, play big = fail big in most cases, being waaaay out of one\u2019s comfort zone can become a bit \u2026well, uncomfortable. And last, but definitely not least, not everyone fancy the whole hoolaboolah that comes with BIG.<\/p>\n
More ease, expertise is often already acquired, it\u2019s likely to be within your comfort zone, more time and energy for the rest of your life. Little risk of spreading yourself thin and delivering what you consider to be sub-par work (I know I know, that\u2019s the perfect excuse for the perfectionist-procrastinator in all of us).<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
So I wasn\u2019t much further forward as both lists were appealing in their own way. That\u2019s when my beloved pragmatism kicked in:<\/p>\n
\n\u201cyou don\u2019t want to play small and you don\u2019t want to play big either, you want to play smart\u201d<\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\u2013 imagine that being said with a finger-wiggling Beyonce-swag, cool right?!<\/p>\n
<\/h4>\n
So what is \u201cplaying smart\u201d? it\u2019s playing to YOUR strengths, according to YOUR rules to achieve YOUR ambition. Because whether it\u2019s big or small a sure way to fail is to go for something that you *think* (or are lead to believe) is what you want and to try and achieve it using someone else\u2019s framework.<\/h4>\n
Let\u2019s play smart, shall we?<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve kept this a simple framework so you can take it and make it your own and if you find some other great ways to \u201cplay smart\u201d do share them.<\/p>\n
<\/h2>\n
Play to your desires:<\/h2>\n
\n
- Be crystal-clear on what you want<\/li>\n
- Not what you are expected to desire or what you should want<\/li>\n
- Big, small, short or tall, it doesn\u2019t matter as long as it is what YOU truly want<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Getting crystal-clear is not easy. I thought it was just me until I started coaching and realised that answering this question often required several sessions to answer: “What do you really want?”<\/p>\n
This is so worth it though, it will save you a ton of time in the future, will make decision-making a much more straight-forward process, especially for those big (sorry!) career and life decisions.<\/p>\n
And an important note: you can change your minds.\u00a0 What was your goal a few years ago has changed, it\u2019s ok life has happened, it\u2019d be kind of strange that our goals didn\u2019t evolve with us.<\/p>\n
<\/h2>\n
Play yes, but with a plan:<\/h2>\n
\n
- Create a framework: your Dos and Don\u2019ts, your absolute YESes and absolute NOs<\/li>\n
- Put a plan in place (here’s my method<\/a>), it doesn\u2019t have to be THE plan carved in stone but it gives you a start.<\/li>\n
- When you start, it\u2019s a matter of putting one foot in front of the other. New job, new career, new XYZ, just keep going. It\u2019s not sexy, it\u2019s not rocket-science but it does get you there.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
And you can change your plan. As for your goals, life will happen and your plan will need to be revised so be flexible and open to opportunities<\/p>\n
<\/h2>\n
Play for growth<\/h2>\n
– This flows directly from the previous point.<\/p>\n
\n
- You go from small to big, it\u2019s a natural process that is called experience. I know it\u2019s obvious but in our world of instant gratification we often forget it \u2013 and it\u2019s human to want to get our desired outcome at the click of a finger<\/li>\n
- Keep on learning: formal and informal learning, learning from your errors. If you adopt a \u201cgrowth mindset\u201d<\/a> your days and your experiences will be filled with learning opportunities that will take you to your desired outcome. It may not be faster but it will be richer and more enjoyable (and probably faster, I cannot guarantee it)<\/li>\n
- If you truly want to play smart you\u2019ve got to be prepared to ask for help. It may not be easy as it could bring up some old stories of impostor\u2019s syndrome or of not being “enough”: good enough, intelligent enough, strong enough. Remember that they are \u201cstories\u201d and your desired outcome is far too precious and important to let old and untrue stories stop you.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
<\/h2>\n
Play the long game:<\/h2>\n
\n
- Playing smart requires patience, not sitting on your hands kinda patience but an active patience where you learn and grow (see Play for growth)<\/li>\n
- Playing smart needs commitment to your goal \u2013 which is why you need clarity. It also requires commitment to the plan you have put in place and the growth needed to achieve it.<\/li>\n
- Flexibility and keeping an open mind are paramount. There will be twists and turns along the ways and that is fine as long as you stay flexible and view them as opportunities rather than obstacles. In career terms that could mean taking a job that may not be a straight step up the ladder but a lateral move if that is what you need today. It could help you jump two rungs on that same ladder in the future.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
<\/h2>\n
And don\u2019t forget to play nicely!<\/h2>\n
\n
- Be authentic<\/strong>: playing smart to get to your desired outcome will help immensely in being and staying authentic. There will be times when you\u2019re tempted to bend your own rules, be wary: it\u2019s not good for your self-esteem and your risk losing sight of what really matters.<\/li>\n
- Be in integrity<\/strong>: always respect your values and others\u2019, recognise when you have fallen short and if necessary take steps to make it right. When you make agreements do respect them, if you know you cannot keep an agreement then have the courage to say no, if you do break your agreement do come clean and make it right or explain truthfully why you can\u2019t keep this agreement.<\/li>\n
- Be responsible<\/strong>: you are fully capable of achieving your goals however it means taking responsibility for your decisions and actions, not waiting for anyone to do it for you and as such not fall in the trap of the victim-blamer vicious circle that leads you nowhere.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
So what do you think? Ready to play smart? I am! I know it will not be easy, I know it will require uncomfortable conversations and u-turn decisions but playing smart feels right in supporting me achieve my goals.<\/h3>\n
Let’s start a conversation around this topic, this is leadership in action so I’d love to hear your thoughts.<\/p>\n
Happy playing![\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Bold goals, big ambition, dream big, play big Big and bold is everywhere This summer I decided to consciously take a step back and make time for in-depth reflection and conversations \u2013 is it bold? is it big? You tell me! The topic of big goals, big plans, often summed up as \u201cplaying big\u201d, kept […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3595,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"
Bold goals, big ambition, dream big, play big<\/h1>\r\nBig and bold is everywhere\r\n\r\nThis summer I decided to consciously take a step back and make time for in-depth reflection and conversations \u2013 is it bold? is it big? You tell me!\r\n\r\nThe topic of big goals, big plans, often summed up as \u201cplaying big\u201d, kept coming back. So I delved a bit deeper under the glossy, insta-worthy image that would want us to believe that if you\u2019re not playing big there is little hope for success.\r\n\r\nI started with a pros and cons list \u2013 you got to start somewhere and the old + and \u2013 list is usually a good way to get the creative juices flowing.\r\n\r\n \r\n
There are plenty of advantages in \u201cplaying big\u201d but quite a few drawbacks too:<\/h2>\r\nMore stress, play big = fail big in most cases, being waaaay out of one\u2019s comfort zone can become a bit \u2026well, uncomfortable. And last, but definitely not least, not everyone fancy the whole hoolaboolah that comes with BIG.\r\n
And \u201cplaying small\u201d is not that bad:<\/h2>\r\nMore ease, expertise is often already acquired, it\u2019s likely to be within your comfort zone, more time and energy for the rest of your life. Little risk of spreading yourself thin and delivering what you consider to be sub-par work (I know I know, that\u2019s the perfect excuse for the perfectionist-procrastinator in all of us).\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nSo I wasn\u2019t much further forward as both lists were appealing in their own way. That\u2019s when my beloved pragmatism kicked in:\r\n
\r\n\u201cyou don\u2019t want to play small and you don\u2019t want to play big either, you want to play smart\u201d<\/h3>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n\u2013 imagine that being said with a finger-wiggling Beyonce-swag, cool right?!\r\n
<\/h4>\r\n
So what is \u201cplaying smart\u201d? it\u2019s playing to YOUR strengths, according to YOUR rules to achieve YOUR ambition. Because whether it\u2019s big or small a sure way to fail is to go for something that you *think* (or are lead to believe) is what you want and to try and achieve it using someone else\u2019s framework.<\/h4>\r\nLet\u2019s play smart, shall we?\r\n\r\nI\u2019ve kept this a simple framework so you can take it and make it your own and if you find some other great ways to \u201cplay smart\u201d do share them.\r\n
<\/h2>\r\n
Play to your desires:<\/h2>\r\n
\r\n \t
- Be crystal-clear on what you want<\/li>\r\n \t
- Not what you are expected to desire or what you should want<\/li>\r\n \t
- Big, small, short or tall, it doesn\u2019t matter as long as it is what YOU truly want<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nGetting crystal-clear is not easy. I thought it was just me until I started coaching and realised that answering this question often required several sessions to answer: \"What do you really want?\"\r\n\r\nThis is so worth it though, it will save you a ton of time in the future, will make decision-making a much more straight-forward process, especially for those big (sorry!) career and life decisions.\r\n\r\nAnd an important note: you can change your minds.\u00a0 What was your goal a few years ago has changed, it\u2019s ok life has happened, it\u2019d be kind of strange that our goals didn\u2019t evolve with us.\r\n
<\/h2>\r\n
Play yes, but with a plan:<\/h2>\r\n
\r\n \t
- Create a framework: your Dos and Don\u2019ts, your absolute YESes and absolute NOs<\/li>\r\n \t
- Put a plan in place (here's my method<\/a>), it doesn\u2019t have to be THE plan carved in stone but it gives you a start.<\/li>\r\n \t
- When you start, it\u2019s a matter of putting one foot in front of the other. New job, new career, new XYZ, just keep going. It\u2019s not sexy, it\u2019s not rocket-science but it does get you there.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nAnd you can change your plan. As for your goals, life will happen and your plan will need to be revised so be flexible and open to opportunities\r\n
<\/h2>\r\n
Play for growth<\/h2>\r\n- This flows directly from the previous point.\r\n