To achieve a goal you have never achieved before, you must start doing things you have not done before, Jim Stuart. This is one of the quotes in the introduction of a book I read a few times.
Focus focus focus
to succeed, you need to focus; in the book The 4 Disciplines of Execution by Chris McChesney, Sean Covey, and Jim Huling, we have an excellent and straightforward approach.
My case: the perfect example of what not to do.
But before I dig into it, I have to admit that if I want to share some elements of this Discipline of Execution, I have to do my Mea Culpa. 2025 will be an incredibly dense and demanding year for me.
- I am taking a new role as director of innovation for Michelin, discovering the whole ecosystem of this large and creative company,
- In the meantime, I am the project manager developing a new office in Montreal on a timeline never done before.
And on the personal side,
- I have to move back to Montreal, selling the home I built with my wife three years ago.
- I have to do significant renovation and extension of the house we are buying in Montreal.
- I will become a grandpa in September,
- My son is getting married this summer.
- I continue the journey of my blog with the discipline of writing two articles per week. In fact, four because I systematically propose the French version,
- And I want to become a coach !!
We need to consider both personal and professional projects as a whole to make sure we are driving in the right direction.
My wake-up call
It doesn’t work, so I reprioritize my life and focus.
First, I made a hard decision: I will not do my coaching courses this year; this one was a tough decision. When I made this decision, I just remembered my key objective, the why. I want to become a coach, not for a title or a diploma. I want to continue to transform myself to become someone more capable of helping others. To do this transformation, I need focus and time. It is not compatible with all the other items for 2025.
Second, rely on others:
- My wife is taking care of selling our home and moving.
- On the project, I focused on delivering the building. And my colleagues are taking care of all the communications, people change management,
And lastly, I came to see my boss, and I told him that I needed to slow down my investment in my new role to deliver the project first. And he agreed.
Know your strengths and your real capabilities, and do not overcommit. I know these rules; I have been using those for years, and still, I can find myself running with the past way.
Example of application of The 4 Disciplines of Execution,
My WIG (Widely Important Goal) is to deliver the new office by September. One WIG with 50% of my time.
I implement lead measures to ensure we will be on time. Tracking all the initiation, transfer of information, and decision to not delay execution associated with robust budget tracking.
In September, my WIG will be to steer the upgrade of the innovation roadmap.
My role as innovation director is essential. I continue taking it over to explore the Innovation ecosystem and develop my network by providing ad-hoc support and input. But it’s not my WIG for the next 4 months.
In the whirlwind, I still have some projects here and there to complete ad-hoc requests to help and facilitate. Still, in my week, I ensure that all the key tasks related to my WIG are accomplished and everyone involved in the project understands the following steps and is in complete control to meet their commitments.
I built a compelling scoreboard to engage people and promote collaboration and sharing (see my article Open Issue List)
I also have all the weekly commitments from all the stakeholders.
See also my article about weekly commitment for yourself to ensure that you allocate the right time for each element.
So, a simple and efficient framework
- Focus: Widely Important Goal: focus and select only one – devote time to achieve it.
- Put lead measures in place and detect issues before they materialize.
- Create a compelling scoreboard to engage people; the only way to succeed.
- And lastly, ensure weekly commitments are made and tracked.
Get much more information: https://www.franklincovey.com/courses/the-4-disciplines/
Coaching or Mentoring: Your Choice, Your Growth
I’m Franck Dervault, drawing on years of professional experience and now advancing toward certification as a coach. I offer two distinct paths:
- Coaching to help you unlock your own potential through reflection, presence, and guided discovery.
- Mentoring to share lessons, strategies, and insights from my career so you can navigate challenges with confidence.
Whichever path you choose, my goal is the same: to help you realize that you are wiser than you think, with immense potential waiting to be unlocked.
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