How to Take Back Control when the Pressure is On
June is one of my favourite months. Being smack bang in the middle of the year, it’s where I imagine the pivot point of the year’s seesaw is. We’ve exactly where things should feel balanced and in control. But realistically, that often isn’t the case.
Two things are probably niggling at your mind now:
- Whether you’re still on track with your commitments so far this year, and
- Whether you and your team can achieve all your goals and objectives by the end of the year.
Will you need to review your project goals to ensure you can end the year on a successful note? Or do you need to up the pace, motivate your teams to be more productive, or even put more resources in place if everyone’s feeling under pressure?
When you reach that point of feeling uncertain about how things are progressing, then it’s time to sit down and figure out how to get things back on track. And if you’re feeling under pressure and overwhelmed with everything, then it makes sense to do that sooner rather than later. If you put it off, things may only get harder.
So, to help you get back in control, I have an excellent solution that I share with my clients and use myself. You may recognise the name – it’s the 3 Fs Framework. I’ve written about it before and reiterate the process here because it’s simple and it works.
The 3 Fs Framework – Creating Certainty out of Uncertainty
Before you start this exercise, it helps to chunk down the issue that’s causing pressure. Sit down with colleagues or a trusted and objective friend to discuss the situation. Find a quiet time where you can discuss the situation in a focused way, without interruptions. Make notes throughout to help you spot where the problem can be broken down.
Once you’ve chunked down the issue into manageable parts, you can implement the 3 F’s Framework. This is where you discover what you can focus on, what you can flag to do later or delegate to someone else, and what you can forget because it doesn’t add value.
Grab a piece of paper and draw three columns. Head the first column Focus, the second one Flag, and the third Forget. Then write every chunked point into the relevant column.
How does the situation look now? What do you have in the Focus column that you can control and work on now? How much is in the Flag column that you can delegate or leave until later? And I’ll bet there are at least a couple of things in the Forget column that don’t add value and would only waste people’s time.
I’m working through the 3Fs exercise again myself. Now that my rebranding and new website are live, I want to gain more control over the way I’m preparing and delivering my workshops, refreshing my overall message, while continuing to develop my business. The 3 Fs Framework process will help me to clarify what needs doing, what doesn’t, and what I can dismiss as unnecessary or outsource.
What Tips the Seesaw Balance Towards Success?
Completing the 3 Fs Framework will help you to see a much clearer vision of where you need to head and what needs changing to achieve the success your organisation needs. If you need some objective help in working through the process, I’d be delighted to help in a One-to-One Coaching Session.
