Getting Things Done

THE ART OF GETTING THINGS DONE | PART ONE

about the purpose of what you're doing, you have no

chance of winning. Purpose defines success. It's the

primal reference point for any investment of time

and energy, from deciding to run for elective office to

designing a form.

Ultimately you can't feel good about a staff

meeting unless you know what the purpose of the

meeting was. And if you want to sleep well, you'd better have a

good answer when your board asks why you fired your V.P. of

marketing or hired that hotshot M.B.A. as your new finance

director. You won't really know whether or not your business plan

is any good until you hold it up against the success criterion that

you define by answering the question "Why do we need a business

plan?"

It Creates Decision-Making Criteria How do you decide whether

to spend the money for a five-color brochure or just

go with a two-color? How do you know whether it's

worth hiring a major Web design firm to handle your

new Web site?

It all comes down to purpose. Given what you're

trying to accomplish, are these resource investments

required, and if so, which ones? There's no way to

know until the purpose is clarified.

It Aligns Resources How should we spend our staffing allocation

in the corporate budget? How do we best use the cash flow right

now to maximize our viability as a retailer over the next year?

Should we spend more money on the luncheon or the speakers for

the monthly association meeting?

In each case, the answer depends on what we're really trying

to accomplish—the why.

It Defines Success People are starved for "wins" these days. We

love to play games, and we like to win, or at least be in a position

where we could win. And if you're not totally clear

Celebrate any
progress. Don't
•wait to get perfect.
—Ann McGee
Cooper

Often the only way
to make a hard
decision is to come
back to the
purpose.