One of my favorite non-fiction books is The One Thing by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan. It’s a simple but important guide about the power of focus—in the world of business, our personal lives and yes, the business of communications. I must admit, I’m kind of obsessed with this idea. My colleague Kelly knows that this is one of my go-to questions. “I know what you’re going to say, Molly—’What’s the One Thing?’”
“There can only be one most important thing. Many things may be important, but only thing can be the most important.” – Ross Garber
Why it Matters
Recently, I was asked by a client to help communicate an important new initiative to her teams; let’s call it Project X. The problem? The background documentation she provided to me contained 8 objectives, 12 workstreams and 3 new technologies. When we met, I explained that it would be much more impactful to her teams if she could crystallize the focus of the project. I don’t mean just one talking point or one workstream. I mean the one thing that everyone needed to understand in order to make the initiative successful. After all, although Project X was certainly important, it wasn’t the ONLY thing that her teams were working on. If she wanted THEM to focus, then SHE had to focus.
How to Make it Happen
So how did we get there? I asked her to pretend that she had just presented Project X at an all-hands meeting. Everyone was exiting the room. Quick! What’s the One Thing she wanted them to remember? It took a few tries—this is hard—but we were able to nail a succinct, focused message that set the trajectory for all other communication tactics. It helped her to tell the Project X Story quickly and crisply and it helped her teams to deliver on this important work.
The next time you have something important to say or communicate, I challenge you to ask yourself: What’s the One Thing? It will take a few tries—maybe more than a few—but I promise, it will be well worth the effort.