The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining. Shifting your mindset from reactive to proactive.
In response to the IMF’s optimistic World Economic outlook, Christine Lagarde reminded us of John F. Kennedy’s 1962 quote; “The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining”. A powerful statement, that not only applies to macroeconomics, but forms a useful adage for the micro-level of professional and personal development. Just like using economic growth to secure recovery and create a more inclusive economy, we can use our energy and positive outlook when things are going well to strengthen ourselves and build better habits, so we can weather any storms to come. Below are three concrete steps to ‘fix’ your professional roof when the sun is shining.
1. Creating awareness - Is the sun shining?
Lagarde remarked: “A key challenge in economic cycles is trying to gain perspective on what comes next while you are in the midst of it. If we take a step back, what might we see?”
If you apply this to your professional and personal life and look outside, what do you see? How do you feel at the moment? Take a step back and notice the season that you are in or even the climate in which you live. Are you feeling positive, productive, well-rested, and inspired? Or are there dark clouds looming over you and do you feel unmotivated, negative, exhausted, and stressed? Has this been temporal or long standing? Creating awareness of where you are at this moment, and the larger cycle in which you are, forms the basis from which you can make change.
If the sun is shining, what is the opportunity and can you seize it? When things are going well, it is often hard to admit that change is beneficial or to see what exactly should be changed. It is more convenient to keep doing what you are doing and enjoy the good times. However, change is easier to implement when you have positive energy at your disposal. You can build from a place of strength, excel and have even more to give to yourself and others around you.
2. Strategy - Figure out where repairs are needed
Great, you have energy and want to get to work on that roof. Where to start? First, you need to locate the weaker areas that need some patching, and those that are strong enough to hold you over. To systematically take stock in your professional and personal life, the ‘Wheel of Change’ by Marshall Goldsmith (as described in his book ‘Triggers’) offers a fantastic framework. Take out a piece of paper and draw the four quadrants below:
In this process of reflection and discovery, examine each of the four quadrants and jot down your thoughts. Following this framework will help you uncover blind spots and look at your behavior holistically.
· Preserving – Of the things that helped me get where I am today, what do I need to keep doing? What are my strengths that I can build on to improve even further?
· Creating – Who is the new me that I want to become? What do I need to add in order to have a positive impact on myself and others? Anything I have not tried yet that I need to invent?
· Eliminating – What behavior has a negative impact and do I need to abandon completely? Which behaviors do I need to dial down a notch to be more productive?
· Accepting – What are the things that I need to accept about myself? And what is beyond my control? Since I cannot change everything all at once, what do I need to accept for the time being? Which action items do I need to table for later, in order to focus on what is most important right now?
3. Action - The tools you need to repair the roof
After this moment of strategic thinking, it is time to set goals and distill the most important things to work on right now. Keep it simple, pick two or three areas to focus on. Write them down and share your intentions with others to keep you accountable. Don’t be afraid to ask others for help and plan ahead for potential roadblocks. Start now, if your energy is high enough to take on your challenge. The trick is to just start with a first step, however small, and use the momentum and new information to then take the most logical next step.
Conclusion
When the sun is shining and things are going well, you can sit back, relax and bask in the sun – or you can use that energy to put up the scaffolding and work on the roof to make the repairs that you know are necessary to prepare for rain. Championing change is easier in good times, then when you are tired and spent. So, make use of the times that you are feeling positive and ‘in sync’ and look ahead to prepare for any clouds on the horizon. This helps shift your mindset from responding reactively to acting proactively, by taking control and initiative when your energy is high.