Is your org chart working?
I was sitting next to Richard on the plane recently, and I asked him what was important in his life. After his son, Taj, his passion is organisational culture, and what makes organisations work (and what structures are required to make them successful). Interesting!
Well, on a Friday afternoon, on a three hour flight to Perth, that was too deep a question for me, but what I thought about was, what makes our mental structure work? What mental model, or hierarchy, do we have, that helps us be successful?
See, your mental model of the world is like an org chart. There are different layers for different tasks, and different roles that you play in life (parent, sibling or employee for example), depending on the situation. Unlike an org chart, though, you work at all levels of your mental model, not just at one level. So, you work vertically, and horizontally.
Have I lost you yet?
Here is the thing. At the top of the org chart, generally people work conceptually. Near the bottom, generally people work technically (this is very general, but just try to get the picture).
So, without a conceptual vision, an organisation struggles for direction. And, without implementers, the vision will never be realised.
See, in your life, you need to both visualise and implement. You might do this through others, but like all of your results, it all starts with you.
Try this:
- Write down your life’s purpose
- Write down the three key things that you will need to do to get there
- Write down how you, or someone else will get those things done
Make your mental model work. Create the right structure and org chart!!
